Batman and Robin - A New Serial
by RevolutionMan
Summary: New adventures of the dynamic duo in script form. It presumes NO connection to any established continuity, but will obviously borrow heavily from the mythos without being an origin story. Some characters will be re-named. Some "laws" will be broken. A serial adaptation that will progress until it isn't fun for me anymore. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

FADE IN:

EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT

Moonlit snowflakes glaze the glossy shine atop a black Rolls-Royce as it pulls up in front of a building that mixes art deco with post-modern sensibilities. BRUCE WAYNE gets out and fixes the collar on his winter overcoat to protect the exposed skin on his neck from the bitter cold. He taps the top of the vehicle and it drives on.

Bruce heads inside. The logo over the door reads "Wayne Enterprises".

EXT. PARKING LOT - OFFICE BUILDING - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT

The Rolls-Royce drives behind the building, to an empty parking lot, under the watchful eye of surveillance cameras.

INT. FOYER - OFFICE BUILDING - NIGHT

A SECURITY GUARD sits in front of several security monitors watching college football on a separate tablet. We see the Rolls-Royce on two of the monitors. It briefly parks near the building, almost out of view of both cameras, then readjusts its position to be completely out of view of both cameras. It's found the perfect blind spot.

Bruce taps the countertop at the guard's desk, catching the man off guard.

**SECURITY GUARD**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne. I didn't see you there.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I noticed. Mr. Purvis hasn't left the office, has he?<strong>

The guard checks the computer.

**SECURITY GUARD**  
><strong>Says here, he's still logged in, sir.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Thanks.<strong>

Bruce walks towards the elevator.

**SECURITY GUARD**  
><strong>Sir... Mr. Purvis asked not to be disturbed.<strong>

Bruce stops, turns, smiles.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Did he, now?<strong>

Bruce keeps walking.

EXT. PARKING LOT - OFFICE BUILDING - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT

The trunk of the Rolls-Royce pops open and out climbs DICK GRAYSON, dressed as Batman's long-time sidekick, Robin. He holds a grappling hook in his hand and points it up at the building. The grapnel shoots out, connects, and Robin ascends.

INT. ROLLS-ROYCE - PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Seated in the driver's seat is ALFRED PENNYWORTH, wearing an old fashioned bowler hat. He turns on the car stereo and light classical music plays. He reclines, tilts the hat over his eyes, and nods off.

INT. BRUCE WAYNE'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Moonlight reflects off the desk surface inside an enormous dark office. The only other light comes from a laptop screen that illuminates the frantic face of CORALLO PURVIS. His keystrokes are loud and fast. Sweat drips down the side of his face. His tie is loose.

An error message on the screen reads: "File Not Found".

**PURVIS**  
><strong>What?<strong>

The elevator bell dings from the hall. Purvis looks up, closes the laptop. He scurries to the door. As he does, we see the nameplate on the desk reads: "Bruce Wayne".

INT. HALLWAY - OFFICE BUILDING - NIGHT

Purvis sneaks a peak into the hall to spy on the elevators. There's no one there, but the light-up numbers above the doors show that the elevator is coming up from below. He sneaks out, hurries to a different office and slips inside.

INT. CORALLO PURVIS' OFFICE - NIGHT

Purvis closes the door and exhales. His relief is short-lived.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Burning the midnight oil, Mr. Purvis?<strong>

Purvis jumps as he turns to see Bruce seated there in the shadows.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Bruce, I didn't see you there.<strong>

Purvis turns on the light.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I didn't mean to startle. The guard at the front desk told me you were here. I admit, I expected the place to be empty.<strong>

Purvis walks around Bruce and takes a seat behind is desk.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Yes, well, it's business hours somewhere.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yes, yes, it is. So, what are you working on?<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>The server farm project. Having some problems with the MLDB team in India. Nothing I can't handle.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>That's good to hear. Now, what are you really working on?<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>The server farm project. With the MLDB team in India.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>And for that you needed access to my personal computer and restricted files?<strong>

Purvis fidgets.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>You don't understand.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Help me. Help me understand, Corallo.<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>The truth is, I think we have a mole.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>A mole?<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Yes, I believe someone's been selling backdoors into our systems under the table to LexCorp in an attempt to undercut our government research projects.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I agree.<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>You do?<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yes, I think we have a mole. I think it's you.<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Bruce, I... no. I'm trying to stop whoever-<strong>

Bruce's face turns red. He explodes out of his chair and is around the desk in a matter of seconds. He grabs Purvis by the collar, pulls him up, and shoves him against the glass window overlooking the city.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Don't lie to me! Do you think I'm an idiot? Did you think I wouldn't notice you hacking into my personal files?<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>I'm not the mole, Bruce, I swear!<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You enter my office without permission, break into encrypted files, and lie to my face about why you're here. Why should I believe you?<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>I didn't want to come to you until I had proof.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>The only thing you've proven to me is that you're a disloyal fool who can't be trusted.<strong>

Bruce turns at the hip and throws Purvis to the ground in the direction of the door. He overturns Purvis' desk. Everything that was once on top of the desk goes crashing to the ground. He's in total rage mode. On the ground Purvis raises his hand over his face, fearing a real physical beat down.

Then, Bruce calms. He steadies himself, straightens his collar.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You're fired, Corallo. Just go. I'll have your personal effects shipped to your home.<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Sir, I...<strong>

An explosion blows out the window behind Bruce. Robin swoops in and grabs Bruce by his coat. Purvis looks on in stunned silence.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Bruce Wayne.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Jesus!<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>We need to have a little talk about your dealings with LexCorp.<strong>

Robin pivots and throws Bruce out the open window. We hear him scream as he disappears into the night.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Oh my god, you killed him!<strong>

Robin looks out the window and down.

EXT. PARKING LOT - OFFICE BUILDING - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT

Bruce screams for the show of it, but his face is completely calm as he hurtles through the air towards the Rolls-Royce below. On his belt, we see a small black box with a red light on it that blinks faster and faster as he approaches the car.

INT. ROLLS ROYCE - PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Alfred stirs as the classical music cuts out. On the dashboard, a red light blinks faster and faster.

**CAR VOICE**  
><strong>Warning, collision imminent.<strong>

Alfred repositions the hat on his head and nonchalantly steps out of the car.

EXT. PARKING LOT - OFFICE BUILDING - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT

Seconds before Bruce hits the roof of the Rolls-Royce, a camouflaged airbag deploys across the entire roof to cushion his fall. He lands on top of it, then rolls off. He taps Alfred on the shoulder.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Told you it would work.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Congratulations on not being dead, sir.<strong>

Alfred opens the passenger door. Bruce takes off his coat and hands it to Alfred, then gets in. Alfred puts on Bruce's coat, removes his hat, then also gets in.

Like a Transformer, the Rolls-Royce begins to take on a new shape. Wings jut out on both sides. A sudden rush of air displaces underneath the vehicle.

INT. CORALLO PURVIS' OFFICE - NIGHT

Satisfied that Bruce is all right, Robin turns back to look at Purvis.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>You murdered Bruce Wayne. I don't know who you are, but I promise you, I will make it my life's mission to make you pay!<strong>

Robin walks over to Purvis, whose rash of bravery fades in a nanosecond.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>No, wait, wait!<strong>

Robin picks Purvis up off the floor, drags him to the open window, and holds him there.

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Don't! Please, don't kill me!<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'm not going to kill you, just like I didn't kill Bruce Wayne. I just want to talk to him. But you, I want you to do something for me. I want you to tell the board of directors that we're watching.<strong>

**PURVIS**  
><strong>Who's we?!<strong>

Outside the window, the newly transformed Batwing rises up the side of the building. The cockpit draws back and we see two people inside. One of them is Alfred, wearing Bruce's coat and a black mask to hide his face. He flails about so it's obvious to Purvis that "Bruce" is still alive. The other figure is none other than the caped crusader himself; BATMAN. He stands up inside the cockpit long enough to reveal himself. His cape flaps majestically in the wind.

Robin pulls Purvis closer to recapture the man's attention.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>We; Batman and Robin.<strong>

Robin pushes Purvis back, then fires a grappling hook towards the Batwing. It attaches via magnetic grapnel and pulls Robin out of the building. Batman sits back down and flies off with Robin in tow and Purvis staring out into the night.

-To Be Continued...-


	2. 2 - Pursuit

EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY

An Episcopal Church stands where it has for more than one hundred years in the heart of downtown Gotham City. Somber choir music, "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded", emanates from within the belly of the ecclesiastical leviathan. Overcast skies weep occasional raindrops.

INT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - SANCTUARY

Austere arches extend high above the long center aisle, the backbone crest well-hidden by shadows from the flickering glow of gothic wall-mounted candelabras. The church CHOIR, dressed in yellow and white robes, practices along with the ORGANIST. In the rows of pews are a few scattered souls; a few have come to listen to the music, some for prayer or meditation. Otherwise, the church is empty.

In the rear of the sanctuary, one of the magnificent ornate doors creaks open. ROMAN SIONIS enters, middle-aged, wearing a white suit under a black trench coat. His fedora matches the trench. His bodyguard follows behind him. MISTER MINT is a mountain of a man with unnatural mint-colored irises, hence the moniker.

The Organist, having heard the door open, looks up but continues to play. He notices Roman standing idle at the rear of the church and plays two notes in the wrong key as a signal to someone. Several in the choir react with varying degrees of surprise and disapproval, but sing on uninterrupted.

A door behind the choir opens and out steps FATHER FRENCH, the elderly Church rector, adorned in marvelous robes of gold and white. French and Roman see each other from across the center aisle and each move at the same time to one side, meeting together at a specific pew. Sionis removes his fedora, revealing the slicked back black hair of a gangster. He hands the fedora and then his trench coat to Mister Mint, then he and the Father slip into the pew to talk business privately.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Can't we do this in a confessional or something?<strong>

**FRENCH**  
><strong>We're not Catholic here, Roman. Though, if you have any sins you'd like to confess, I'm happy to unburden you as acting intermediary for God.<strong>

**ROMAN**  
><strong>I ain't looking for that kind of in-ter-mediation, Father. I need someone I can trust.<strong>

**FRENCH**  
><strong>It is dangerous to ask favors of God without any consideration for His divine will.<strong>

Roman reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out an envelope. He hands it to Father French, who then slips it under his holy robe.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>I'm thinking maybe God's will can do more with this week's deposit than secrets he don't need to know.<strong>

**FRENCH**  
><strong>Do you really believe you can keep secrets from the Almighty, my son?<strong>

Roman looks into Father French's eyes and sees something... scary... behind them.

**FRENCH**  
><strong>The Almighty knows what is in your heart. No prayer shall go unanswered. Pray with me and it shall be done.<strong>

Father French bows his head and prays something inaudible. Roman fidgets, uncomfortable, then awkwardly lowers his head and closes his eyes.

The choir sings.

EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY

Roman, again wearing his coat and fedora, and Mister Mint exit the church and descend the stone steps towards a running limousine parked on the street.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Crazy priest bastard gives me the heebie jeebies. You see the way he looked at me with those eyebrows of his? All pointed in all directions. I don't even know. I don't even know what's going on with those things.<strong>

Mister Mint opens the rear passenger door to the limousine.

INT. ROMAN'S LIMOUSINE - DAY

Roman gets in. From outside the vehicle, Mister Mint closes the door.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Out. Of. Here. Driver. And don't stop for small children or little old ladies. Ain't nothin' but speed bumps.<strong>

**KING (O.S.)**  
><strong>I admire a man who is always in a hurry.<strong>

Roman nearly jumps out of his skin as the man he didn't even know was there starts to speak.

He is WILLIAM KING, a bespectacled gentleman who walks with a cane and carries with him a gold pocket watch at all times. The man grins from ear to ear.

**KING**  
><strong>Such a man is aware of the importance of time. Time is money, after all. But no matter how many fortunes we amass in this world, and no matter how fit we keep ourselves, we all have but a finite amount of both. Perhaps that's why, even more important than how much of each we have, is what we do with it.<strong>

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Oh, that's profound.<strong>

Startled and angry, Roman pulls a gun from his jacket and points it at King's head.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>That's good. It means you know how important it is what you do with your next five seconds.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>I am William King.<strong>

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Hello, William King. That's a bulletproof, soundproof, tinted window behind you. Four... three...<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>I am the Facilitator.<strong>

Roman looks him over. He turns up his nose, unimpressed, but puts the gun away just the same.

**KING**  
><strong>Did you know, Mr. Sionis, that time was created by the Almighty as a way to test the faith of man?<strong>

**ROMAN**  
><strong>I don't believe in God.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>And what is it that you do believe in?<strong>

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Respect... and getting what I pay for.<strong>

King looks at his pocket watch.

**KING**  
><strong>Target?<strong>

Roman reaches for a briefcase under the seat. He opens it, pulls out a folder, and hands it to King.

**ROMAN**  
><strong>Time is of the essence.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>Isn't it always, Mr. Sionis?<strong>

King opens the door and steps out.

**KING**  
><strong>Isn't it always?<strong>

King closes the door.

EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY

King steps around the limo to where his man, FOULKES, has Mister Mint stymied by a concealed gun pressed to the larger man's kidney.

**KING**  
><strong>I have what I need.<strong>

Foulkes puts the gun away and walks off with King. They ignore Mister Mint's vicious scowl.

EXT. DOWNTOWN - NIGHT

A full moon watches over Gotham, but it isn't the only one.

EXT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE - NIGHT

Beneath a white star on painted glass hangs a sign that reads "CLOSED". Despite that, a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt exits from a door in an alley on the side of the building. He heads for the sidewalk.

**ROBIN (O.S.)**  
><strong>Wait a minute, I've got someone coming out the side.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I see him.<strong>

The HOODED MAN reaches the street and looks around. When he sees no one around, he takes off his hood and heads for a bus stop.

We pull up and back to across the street and the open third floor window of a dark building. Inside, Robin scopes out the store with a pair of binoculars. He sees the man's face and appears disappointed. He converses with Batman via an ear piece.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Not our guy.<strong>

Robin looks across the street and up at the roof of an adjacent building where a shadowy figure, Batman, sits perched at the corner. He's barely visible even if you know where to look.

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Keep watching. We know he's inside.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>We've been at this for hours. Let me go in.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Too risky. I can't be looking out for both of you.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I can do this.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>It's unnecessary. All we have to do is wait.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>In the meantime, he's eating up our entire night. We take him now, we can still do some good elsewhere.<strong>

Robin stands up and begins to change into civilian clothes. He removes his cape and utility belt.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'm going in and getting him.<strong>

We hear something that sounds remotely like a muffled growl over the radio, followed by a short silence.

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Maintain contact.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No problem.<strong>

Robin climbs out onto the fire escape and descends to street level. He crosses the street and heads into the alley.

INT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE

A knock at the door. From within, a SURLY MAN slides open a view panel to see plain-clothes Robin on the other side. Robin nods and shows the man a handful of cash. Without saying a word, the Surly Man slides the view panel shut and opens the door.

INT. BASEMENT ARENA - SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE

We're watching an underground "shock fight"; a mixed-martial arts contest where combatants wear electrified gloves to beat and electrocute their opponent within a six-sided cage. The audience of gangsters pass cash back and forth as they wager on the latest bloodbath.

Robin slips in at the back as the fight in the cage reaches a fever pitch.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>You gotta see this. It's like the henchmen scrapheap down here. I think I broke that guy's jaw once.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Stay focused. Do you see Pryce?<strong>

Robin scans the room and finds his man, PRYCE, across the cage in the front row. Despite the vicious non-stop action before him, and the crazed crowd all around, the unflappable Pryce watches like a man at the opera; reserved and concentrated.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Got him.<strong>

Inside the ring, a vicious closed-fisted hook shocks, then drops one of the combatants. The REFEREE counts to...

**REFEREE**  
><strong>Five... Six...<strong>

The bell rings. The referee looks over, as if surprised that the bell rang before he'd finished counting. The BELL MAN shrugs and points up, to what or who is anyone's guess. Curious, Robin looks around, but sees nothing.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I think something's happening.<strong>

**REFEREE**  
><strong>That's it. Fight's over! Pay's eight-two-five at one-two-one in round two. That's eight-two-five, at one-two-one, in two.<strong>

The crowd reacts with outraged screams and taunts.

**MAN IN CROWD**  
><strong>The fix is in!<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>What's going on?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'm not totally sure. I think the one guy threw the fight. Wait a minute.<strong>

Robin suddenly notices Pryce has left his seat.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>He's on the move.<strong>

Robin works his way through the crowd back the way he came, desperately searching for Pryce.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I don't see him. Has anyone come outside?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>No.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Well, I don't see him.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Just calm down, he's got to still be in there. There's no other way in or out.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Dammit, I don't see him. I don't see him.<strong>

Robin clears a group of thugs as he races for the door. He stops when his eyes meet a man who also races towards the same door... and who also stops. It's Pryce... and he sees Robin.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I see him.<strong>

Spooked, Pryce barrels over anyone he has to in order to reach the exit.

Robin races after him.

EXT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE - NIGHT

Pryce explodes out the door. He considers the street, but thinks better of it and retreats deeper into the alley between buildings, where he finds a dumpster that he uses to propel himself up into the air onto a nearby fire escape.

Robin races outside. He pulls his mask out of his pocket and puts it on to hide his identity. He then turns when he hears Pryce on the fire escape. He duplicates the man's impressive feat with all the ease of an expert acrobat.

EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT

Pryce climbs a ladder to the roof of a building, crosses the roof, then jumps from the roof onto the ledge of a window of an adjacent building. He then jumps from that ledge to the ledge one story up and shimmies over to a storm pipe extending from the roof to the ground. He climbs the pipe to the roof.

Robin duplicates the man's incredible maneuvers.

Meanwhile, we see a dark shadow shaped like a bat fly by overhead.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Pryce looks over his shoulder to see Robin not far behind. He pulls a gun and takes all six shots. Robin has no choice but to duck down behind an industrial air conditioning unit.

By the time Pryce turns to look back the way he's going, he's already at the current building's edge. He's run himself too hard and can't stop in time. He has no choice but to commit to a ridiculous leap to the next apartment building where he crashes through a window two stories below where he started.

Robin follows, sees the distance the man had to travel to make the leap, and chuckles to himself.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>That probably would've been easier if you had a grappler, like I-<strong>

Robin reaches for his utility belt, then remembers he took it off to dress in civilian wear.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Oh, right. Wrong belt. Crap. All right. I can make this.<strong>

Robin takes several deep breaths, steps a few paces back, then leaps into the air, crashing through the same window as Pryce.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Robin tumbles through the window, landing in a pile of glass, then crashes into what's left of someone's living room.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>God, that hurt.<strong>

**PRYCE**  
><strong>Not as much as this will.<strong>

Pryce comes out of nowhere wearing one of the same gloves as the shock fighters from before. We hear the hum of the electricity as it buzzes by Robin's face. He turns away just in time.

Robin tries a leg sweep to counter, but Pryce somersaults over it, grabs the leg of a broken coffee table, and swings it at Robin like a club. Robin catches it with both hands, then turns his body into Pryce's to elbow the man in the jaw. Pryce counters by wrapping his arm around Robin's neck.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING ROOF - NIGHT

Batman lands atop a roof higher than the apartment building's roof and waits patiently.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Pryce and Robin fall together onto the ground, with Robin on top. Robin uses this leverage advantage to kick his own body up into a backwards cartwheel that pries himself free of Pryce's stranglehold and lands him back onto his feet. Pryce, meanwhile, jump kicks his way forward, grabs a flat screen television from off the wall and throws it at Robin, who is stunned.

Pryce retreats, kicking his way out the front door and into the hall.

Dazed, Robin staggers forward.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'm still on him. I think he's trying to get to street level.<strong>

Robin runs out the door.

INT. STAIRWELL - APARTMENT BUILDING

Pryce enters the stairwell. He slides down the first bannister, bounces off the wall, then slides down the next, and so on. The only way he could make it down faster is if he threw himself off the roof.

Robin enters the stairwell just as Pryce reaches the bottom. Pryce looks up, Robin looks down. Their eyes meet for a second, then the pursuit continues. Pryce exits. Robin slides down the first bannister...

EXT. ROOF - NIGHT

Batman watches from the roof as Pryce exits the building and runs towards a much busier part of town. There are restaurants and crowds gathered outside of bars.

EXT. RESTAURANTS - NIGHT

Pryce slows down as he approaches groups of Gothamites enjoying their night life. He thinks he's safe amongst them. Except, when he looks back, Robin is running at full speed right towards him. Pryce turns and runs.

Robin races after Pryce.

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Break off your pursuit.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>He's mine.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You're going to endanger everyone around you. Break off your pursuit!<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'll let you know when I have him. Signing off.<strong>

Robin touches his ear and turns off his communicator. He runs faster.

Pryce turns into...

INT. ROMANO'S RESTAURANT

Pryce barrels over some middle-class Gothamites pretending like they're upper class socialites by dining in an eighty-nine dollar suit and JCPenney evening gown. He runs by the MAITRE D, and weaves his way between tables in the dining area.

**MAITRE D**  
><strong>Hey, wait a minute!<strong>

Robin runs in right behind Pryce, shoving the Maitre D out of his way.

INT. KITCHEN - ROMANO'S RESTAURANT

Pryce runs inside and grabs a handful of freshly cleaned steak knives from a drying rack near the sink. When one of the chefs tries to get in his way, he stabs the man in the arm for his trouble.

Robin runs into the kitchen and immediately has to duck, slide, roll, and jump to dodge the knives Pryce throws at him. The last knife comes straight at his face, but the Boy Wonder manages to steal a pot of rice from a nearby burner to deflect the knife away.

Pryce runs out the back.

Robin considers running after him until he sees the stabbed chef on the ground.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Are you okay?<strong>

**STABBED CHEF**  
><strong>It hurts, it hurts!<strong>

Robin spots some twine on a nearby shelf, unravels it, and quickly ties a tourniquet around the stabbed chef's arm. He turns to one of the others.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Keep the pressure up and call an ambulance. He'll be fine!<strong>

Robin runs out the back.

EXT. BEHIND ROMANO'S - NIGHT

Robin runs outside into a dark alley behind Romano's. He looks one way, then the other. He guesses that Pryce wouldn't have run towards the busy street a second time and runs deeper into the alley.

EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT

Robin turns a corner, sees Pryce standing on the short stone wall of a concrete walking bridge overlooking the train tracks. In the distance, a train turns the corner headed straight for the bridge. It's clear Pryce is prepared to jump on top of the train to escape!

Robin runs towards Pryce as fast as he can. Can he beat the train?

Pryce sees Robin and decides to climb over the ledge. He holds on with both hands and hangs there as the train approaches.

But Robin reaches him first. He grabs Pryce's wrists and holds on.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No, you don't.<strong>

**PRYCE**  
><strong>Let go!<strong>

The train rushes underneath Pryce's feet as the man struggles to get Robin to release him. The struggle is short lived and Pryce manages to wriggle free.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No!<strong>

Unfortunately for Pryce, the timing couldn't be worse. He slips down between two of the train cars instead of landing on top. Pryce is very, very dead.

Robin turns away from the gruesome scene and sits on the bridge, his back against the short stone wall. After a second, he feels something... like... he's being watched? He looks up.

In the shadows of one of the buildings, he sees him. He sees Batman.

Robin hangs his head in shame and defeat.

- To Be Continued...-


	3. 3 - Lessons

EXT. TRAIN STATION - EARLY MORNING

Foulkes and some men wait inside a black sedan as passengers disembark a parked train. He scans the faces. As the last of the passengers exits the train, the doors slide closed and it goes on its way.

Foulkes looks at his watch, then drives off.

EXT. TOCKMAN'S ONE-STOP CLOCK SHOP - MORNING

Foulkes parks outside. He and his men head inside the shop.

INT. WORKSHOP - TOCKMAN'S ONE-STOP CLOCK SHOP

Ticking. Countless clocks ticking, from watches to grandfather clocks to wall-mounted cuckoos. William King works with fine metal tools at a workbench as Foulkes enters.

**FOULKES**  
><strong>Pryce didn't show.<strong>

King makes an extremely fine-tune adjustment on the inner workings of the device he's working on, then reaches for a newspaper. He pushes it across his workbench towards Foulkes.

**KING**  
><strong>No, I imagine he didn't. Seems Mr. Pryce missed his train. It did not, however, miss him.<strong>

Foulkes picks up the paper.

GOTHAM TIMES: The top headline reads: "WAYNE KIDNAPPING A HOAX - RUMOR SPREAD BY DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEE" with a recent picture of Bruce standing in front of a cadre of reporters. Under that, though, circled in red marker, is a smaller headline that reads: "DEAD MAN STABBED CHEF BEFORE JUMPING OFF BRIDGE".

**KING**  
><strong>A second or two either way and he would have made that jump. A few seconds cost him the rest of his life. Doesn't really feel like a fair trade, does it?<strong>

Foulkes furrows his brow.

King completes his work and looks up.

**KING**  
><strong>Looks like we're gonna need another engineer.<strong>

King grins.

EXT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY

The palatial estate of Wayne Manor stands like a fortress guarding the city limits of Gotham City behind it. News vans from every major news outlet in the city are parked out front the main gate.

INT. KITCHEN - WAYNE MANOR

Dick Grayson enters the kitchen just as Alfred removes a whole chicken from a boiling pot of water with a pair of tongs. There's a plate of eggs and a ham steak waiting for him at the table. There's also a tall glass of milk and another of some unidentified vegetable protein concoction.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Good afternoon, Master Dick.<strong>

Alfred drops the whole chicken on a cutting board and shreds the meat from the carcass. He takes the boiled chicken bits and places them into some glassware.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Alfred.<strong>

Grayson sits down at the table and starts eating.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I trust you won't think it reflects poorly on me that your eggs are cold and your milk is warm. Rest assured the thin layer of dust atop each wasn't there three hours ago, either.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Yeah, I'm guessing neither is or ever was as cold as the conversation would have been. He say anything about last night?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I got pieces.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I was dreading it all night. I barely slept. I really screwed up.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Yes, that piece I got.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>He didn't speak to me the entire ride back to the cave. It was like I was a little kid again, waiting for Mommy to yell at me for cheating on a math test.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Having been raised in a traveling circus, one wonders how often you faced that particular scenario.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I just needed him to say something; yell at me, fire me, beat the crap out of me, something.<strong>

Grayson scarfs down the rest of his meal, then drinks his milk and vegetable protein. He wipes his mouth and heads for the door.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I'm getting this over with. I'm confronting him head on.<strong>

Grayson exits.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Yes, sir. I've no doubt that will go swimmingly for you.<strong>

Alfred throws the stripped chicken carcass into an open trash bag.

INT. BATCAVE

Grayson descends the long stone stairs, a man on a mission. Bruce is seated in front of the massive Bat-computer analyzing an audio clip. Three side monitors also play separate newscasts he can watch with his peripheral vision.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Like you never made a mistake when you were younger. Not one time. Okay, I know it was a big one, but...<strong>

As Grayson gets closer, Bruce puts up a hand.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Shh...<strong>

Audio plays of the shock fight from the previous night. We hear the crowd cheering, a thud, the bell.

**AUDIO (V.O.)**  
><strong>Pay's eight-two-five at one-two-one in round two. That's eight-two-five, at one-two-one, in two.<strong>

Bruce types the numbers into a separate window: "8, 2, 5, 1, 2, 1, 2".

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I extracted the audio from last night, from just before you reported Pryce getting up to leave.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Oh, you're talking to me again? Good. Because that silent treatment is some kind of crap.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I think the referee conveyed a coded message via this set of numbers. I'm running it through the computer to see if it holds any known significance.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Look, I'm sorry about last night. I made a mistake.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You made eight.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>How do you figure?!<strong>

Bruce stands up to look him in the eyes.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>One, you got impatient during a stakeout. Two, you disobeyed a direct order to remain where you were. Three, you left your equipment where anyone could find it.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>In an abandoned office nobody uses.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Four, you allowed the criminal to dictate your route when there was an easier, less physical, and more efficient path you could have taken.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Oh.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Five, you broke off radio contact. Six, you continued the chase into a public area, endangering civilians. Did you think I wouldn't notice someone got stabbed?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I made sure he was okay.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Seven, he saw your face, which meant I couldn't pursue and risk letting him know who was after him. On the off chance he could identify you, both of our secret identities would have been compromised. And eight, you let the man die.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I didn't let him die. I tried to pull him up.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You 'tried' is just another way of saying you 'failed'. This is what we do. There is no difference between choosing not to and not being able.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>He was a bad guy, anyway.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>(firm growl)<strong>  
><strong>We don't make that distinction when it comes to matters of life and death. That's not who we are. That's not what Batman and Robin are about.<strong>

Grayson turns away, ashamed.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I know.<strong>

Bruce turns, sits back down at the computer. He gets back to work.

Dick watches him a moment, goes to say something, but stops himself. He's embarrassed.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I do know that. And I know you're disappointed in me. I know you're angry. But no matter what else you may think of me, it's important that you know that I know that's not what we're about. I wasn't trying to kill him. I didn't let him die. I tried to pull him up. He resisted. He slipped. There was nothing else I could do.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Not at that point, no. Because you didn't stay patient, you made a decision that spiraled into a chain of events leading to one man being stabbed and another being run over by a train. That's the difference between doing the job and doing it right. Not to mention the fact that, because he died, we didn't get to interrogate him to figure out what else he might've known. That's nine.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I'm sorry I let you down.<strong>

On the monitor, a message pops up regarding the crosscheck on the significance of the numbers: "NOT FOUND"

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Get over it.<strong>

Bruce stands up and heads for the stairs.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You're on monitor duty until further notice, until such a time as I feel you can be trusted again. Pryce was a particularly skilled engineer. Whoever tried to hire him can't replace him with someone off the street. You have until tonight to work up a list of names for me. Right now, Bruce Wayne has a meeting with the Wayne Enterprises Board of Directors.<strong>

Bruce turns to leave.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>You know, just because you're Batman, doesn't mean it's cool to refer to yourself in the third person.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yes, it does.<strong>

Bruce exits. Grayson sits at the computer and gets to work.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - WAYNE ENTERPRISES HQ - DAY

Nineteen big wigs and one empty chair sit at a long conference table. Despite the incredible view of Gotham City from the window, they are all preoccupied, their collective attention directed towards the man in the room whose name is on the wall; Bruce Wayne.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>The evidence is irrefutable. Someone's been leaking information to LexCorp. That's how they undercut our bid for the government big data contract.<strong>

GRAHAM CULLEN, a senior board member with a keen intellect and the power of persuasion, looks over the packet of pages in front of him with disdain.

**GRAHAM**  
><strong>This is absurd. How do we know this "Bat"-lunatic didn't fabricate this evidence? For god's sake, he threw you out of a window.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Lucius?<strong>

Bruce defers to LUCIUS FOX, an older man but not yet of retirement age and seated at Bruce's right.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>I ran the back trace this morning. Our security was definitely breached on at least four separate occasions. Nothing traceable, but they got in and they got everything; accounting, logistics, specs on the entire operation at Rosevale. We're in the process of updating our protocols, but the damage is done. It's no secret we were counting on that contract to keep the Applied Sciences division up and running.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Corallo Purvis was relieved of his duties first thing this morning, but I'm confident he wasn't working alone. The Batman and his ambiguous partner may have thrown me out of a window, but whomever's been selling company secrets has stabbed all of us in the back. There are going to have to be massive layoffs, the company stock is going to nosedive, and even more importantly... and I can't stress this enough, people... Lex Luthor is somewhere sitting in his penthouse apartment in Metropolis knowing that he got one over on us and that makes me just about ready to blow up the god damn moon.<strong>

**GRAHAM**  
><strong>I'll push forward on the Sionis Pharm takeover. If we can iron out the details before the end of the quarter, that should help mitigate our losses, give us something positive to report at the next investors meeting.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Good.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>As for the rest of you, we're in full audit mode. I'll expect complete reports by the end of the month.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Let's get this ship in order, people. That's my name on the building. That's my father's name. I'm not getting embarrassed on my home turf.<strong>

The meeting wraps up and the board members leave. Only Bruce and Lucius are left. Bruce stands and looks out the window over at the city... his city.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Graham's right. The Sionis takeover should help.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I don't care about that. They're scared. No one wants to be the next to go out the window. And that's the point.<strong>

Bruce turns around.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>No one gets laid off before Christmas. And put in a call to Oliver Queen. Tell him Corallo Purvis comes with my highest recommendation.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Understood.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I'm going to make myself scarce the next few days.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Skiing, again?<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I should be pretty good by now. Tell them I'm Bat-shy.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Right.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I've got a lot on my plate. You've got kids, haven't you, Lucius?<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>(nods)<strong>  
><strong>A son and a daughter.<strong>

Bruce nods. After a wait...

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Was there another question you wanted to ask? Advice, maybe?<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>No. Keep me in the loop on the audit. I need to go practice for an uncomfortable conversation with an angry man.<strong>

Bruce exits.

EXT. GOTHAM CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT - NIGHT

The ever busy Gotham City Police Department; the beleaguered brick bastion where overworked men and women in blue do their best to maintain order in a city especially wrought with insanity.

INT. COMMISSIONER GORDON'S OFFICE - NIGHT

COMMISSIONER JIM GORDON enters his office and immediately slams the door behind him. The rush of air from the door slamming shut knocks a few stray papers off his cluttered desk.

**GORDON**  
><strong>Ah, dammit!<strong>

He bends down to pickup the fallen papers. A shadow moves across the floor, one with tall ears atop its head. He sees it and looks up.

Just outside the window, on the fire escape, the Batman.

**GORDON**  
><strong>So, that was your guy down at the tracks.<strong>

Gordon stacks the paper and replaces them back on the desk. He moves over to the window and sticks his head out.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - COMMISSIONER GORDON'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Gordon points accusingly at Batman.

**GORDON**  
><strong>You and I have always walked very thin ice. I justified it by telling myself we were making progress. I have fought two mayors and the district attorney's office for you. I thought we had an understanding.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>He ran.<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>They all run! They always run! Don't make me come after you two.<strong>

Batman nods, then falls backwards over the fire escape. He throws out his arms and his cape turns into a glider which he uses to fly away.

Jim watches with a scowl, then retreats back inside.

- To Be Continued... -


	4. 4 - Headhunter

EXT. SKIES OVER GOTHAM - NIGHT

Gotham's vigilant protector glides along currents of air high above the city streets as he talks to Robin over the comm channel.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>What do you have for me?<strong>

INT. BATCAVE

Dressed in his Robin gear, Dick Grayson taps away at the computer and pulls up a list of names with pictures where available.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>The computer spit out a list of six locals who might serve as a suitable replacement for Pryce on short notice. One of them died of throat cancer in June. We can probably scratch him off the list. Another is serving time in Blackgate for building his own military spec drone and using it to spy on sorority houses.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Seriously?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Infrared Coeds dot com. Pretty professional website design, but it sounds like NORAD was a little pissed off when their credit card got charged automatically after the trial membership period ended. They blew the thing out of the sky and dragged him out of his mother's basement in handcuffs.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You made that last part up.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I did.<strong>

EXT. SKIES OVER GOTHAM - NIGHT

Batman lands atop the nearest roof and takes shelter behind a billboard. He activates a mobile touchscreen display on his gauntlet.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Just stick to the facts and mission specifics, please.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I'm uploading the other four candidates to you now.<strong>

Batman reviews the four names and biographical details.

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You know...<strong>

INT. BATCAVE

Robin stands and heads over to an equipment case. He pulls a grappler, several batarangs, smoke pellets, and assorted other gadgets from the case.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>We could track them down faster if we each take two.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I can find them myself.<strong>

Robin walks over to a sleek red and black motorcycle. He picks up the helmet and puts it on.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I know you can find them yourself. That's not the issue. Whatever's going down, it's going down soon. The sooner we find this guy, the better our chances are of stopping it. Is it really worth the risk just to punish me? I'm not going to learn anything sitting in a damn chair in the cave.<strong>

Short silence.

EXT. SKIES OVER GOTHAM - NIGHT

Batman thinks to himself.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>You're already on the bike, aren't you?<strong>

INT. BATCAVE

Robin is sitting on the bike, but waits for permission.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No.<strong>

EXT. SKIES OVER GOTHAM - NIGHT

Batman adjusts his gauntlet display and pulls up the security feed inside the Batcave. He sees Robin already on the bike.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Yes, you are. I can see you on the bike.<strong>

INT. BATCAVE

Robin looks up and sees the video camera pointed right at him.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Dammit, I forgot you had those. Come on, let me help. Don't make the people of Gotham suffer for my mistake.<strong>

Robin stares down the camera. It's not unlike having a staredown with Batman himself, actually.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Too far with that "people of Gotham" part?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>A little heavy-handed.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>So, do I get the green light here, or what?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You take Simpkins and Ferrelly. I'll take deGromm and Martinez. I'll expect updates on your progress every half hour.<strong>

Robin's motorcycle roars to life.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>And I'll expect them from you. I'm taking Simpkins first. Robin out.<strong>

Robin lowers the visor on his motorcycle helmet and guns it out of the cave.

EXT. BUILDING - NIGHT

Robin drives into an alley and pulls his bike up perpendicular to the wall of the building. He presses a button on the front of the bike and two grapplers shoot up from the front of the vehicle and lodge into the side of the building. He then dismounts over the rear of the bike as the grapplers pull it out from under him and up the side of the building, where it will be hidden from pedestrian traffic.

He speaks into gauntlet.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Camouflage mode.<strong>

The visible surfaces of the bike change color to blend in with the brick of the building.

Robin runs off.

EXT. ERGO APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

A rope extends from the roof down four stories to where Robin spies inside an unlit apartment through a closed window. He whispers into his gauntlet.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Scan for phone receivers.<strong>

The gauntlet display lights up: "0 cell phones found, 1 landline found".

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Call landline.<strong>

We hear a phone ring inside the apartment. After three rings, an answering machine picks up.

**ANSWERING MACHINE (V.O.)**  
><strong>You have reached Randall Simpkins. I'm currently unavailable to take your call, but if you leave-<strong>

Robin hangs up then breaks into the window and climbs inside.

INT. BEDROOM - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT - NIGHT

Robin closes the window behind him and takes a look around. Without any lights, it's difficult to see. To compensate, he reaches into his utility belt and removes two lens covers for his mask. They clip into place and serve as miniature night vision goggles that help him to see in the dark. They also glow white on the outside, giving him the appearance of having luminous eyes.

The bedroom is a good size, but looks small due to it being crammed with furniture. There's an unmade king-size bed, an armoire, a dresser, a bookshelf, and two night stands. One of the night stands has a lamp on it. The other has a lamp, two glasses of water, an ash tray, three books, a filthy magazine, an alarm clock, a few pencils...

Robin moves over to the bed. On top of the bed, on the side nearest the clothes closet, are several dress shirts and pieces of old tailored suits. He reads one of the labels.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>(impressed)<strong>  
><strong>Left this on the bed, huh, Randall?<strong>

INT. LIVING AREA - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT - NIGHT

Just like the bedroom, there's way too much furniture; a huge leather sectional, a desk with hutch, two different coffee tables...

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Batman, I'm in Randall Simpkins' apartment. It's like Pottery Barn exploded in here.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>His bio says he's divorced. It happened right after he was downsized by Bell and Lacy, but when he was there, he was probably making six figures. All that furniture has to go somewhere.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I guess.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>He's not there?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No. I think he has a date. There was a pile of really nice suits on the bed, like he was trying a bunch of different ones on. They were older, but I recognized some of the labels from your closet. That's got to make them pretty expensive, right?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Any clue as to where he might have gone? An appointment planner, wall calendar? What about his computer?<strong>

Robin walks over to the desk. There's a space in the middle with unplugged wires where a laptop might have been.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Looks like he took it with him.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>On a date?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>What do you want me to tell you? There's a space for a laptop, but it's not here.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Keep looking for clues. Friday night, dressed to the nines, with his laptop? I want to know where he went.<strong>

Robin opens up some of the desk drawers. In one of them, he finds an old cell phone.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I've got an old cell phone.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You know what to do.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I'll keep you posted.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Batman, out.<strong>

Robin plugs the old cell phone into his gauntlet and powers it up. He uses it to pull Randall Simpkins' cell phone number.

INT. MEN'S RESTROOM - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

A flush is heard inside the gorgeous pink marble bathroom of the Stella Marina restaurant. One of the doors of the eight spacious stalls swings open and out steps RANDALL SIMPKINS, who has somehow managed to stuff his inflated gut into a fine suit tailored for a much slimmer man.

He waddles over to one of the sinks and wets his hands so as to return some of his thinning gray hairs to their proper position in his comb over.

A cell phone rings.

Randall reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone.

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Hello, this is Randall.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Yes, Randall Simpkins?<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Yeah?<strong>

INT. LIVING AREA - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT - NIGHT

Robin reclines in Randall's desk chair. He even puts his feet up on Randall's desk. He reads the information he needs from Randall's biography on his gauntlet's display screen.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Uh, hi, Mr. Simpkins. My name is Edward Carey and I'm calling from the Dalton Academy. It's about your son, Kyle.<strong>

Robin initiates a phone trace.

INT. MEN'S RESTROOM - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

Randall's heart sinks.

**RANDALL**  
><strong>What did he do?<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>No, sir, nothing's wrong. It's not an emergency. There have just been a few changes made to our insurance policies as they apply to boarding students that we need to go over. Do you have time, now?<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>My ex-wife has full custody. You should be talking to her about this.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I'm terribly sorry, but you are listed as one of his emergency contacts.<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>But you just said it's not an emergency...<strong>

Randall checks his watch.

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Which, honestly, begs the question why you're calling me on a Friday night. I'm out. I don't have time for this.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Yes, sir, my apologies. Would you like us to call your ex-wife, then, perhaps at a time that's more convenient?<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>No, you can call her, now. Bother her all you want. You want her number?<strong>

INT. LIVING AREA - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT - NIGHT

The trace completes and pinpoints Randall's location as at the Stella Marina. Robin smiles and bounces up out of the chair.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No, sir. I have everything I need. Thank you.<strong>

Robin hangs up, then uses his communicator to contact...

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Alfred, I need a tuxedo package delivered to the Stella Marina in ten minutes.<strong>

He heads for the bedroom.

INT. MEN'S RESTROOM - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

Randall shakes his head, annoyed by the interruption, then returns his phone to his pocket. He adjusts his hair some more.

INT. DINING ROOM - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

Gotham's rich and famous hobnob over filet mignon, caviar, and wine that hasn't seen daylight in at least sixty years. Sitting by herself at one of the tables is the gorgeous femme fatale VERITY. She's a six foot tall hourglass whose hair is redder than her dress, but not as red as her lipstick. Chandelier light reflects off glitter spray about her ample cleavage, the center of attention for more than a few leering patrons... not to mention Randall Simpkins as he sits down across from her.

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Sorry for the wait, my dear. Got a call from my son's school.<strong>

She speaks with an Eastern European accent.

**VERITY**  
><strong>Oh no, is everything all right?<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>No, it was nothing. He was nominated for some prestigious fellowship in math and science and they wanted to invite me to the awards ceremony, or something.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>The Davidson Fellowship?<strong>

Randall chokes as he takes a sip of wine.

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Yeah. Yes. I think that's what they said.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Wow. That is a tremendous accomplishment. You must be so very proud of him.<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Chip off the old block.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Feels a little bit like fate. Such good news for him. Such good news for you.<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>I haven't accepted the job yet.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>I haven't offered the job yet.<strong>

She leans forward, using her ample assets to entice him further. Underneath the table, she puts her bare foot to use as well.

**VERITY**  
><strong>But a man of your talents has much to offer. I have much to offer. I need a man with specific experience. Is that you, Randall? Can you satisfy my expectations?<strong>

**RANDALL**  
><strong>Boy, I'd like to try.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Show me.<strong>

Randall reaches down underneath the table and retrieves his laptop.

EXT. PARKING LOT - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

Alfred pulls into the Stella Marina parking lot in the Rolls Royce and parks as far away from the restaurant as possible. He steps out and opens up the rear passenger door.

Carrying his mask and equipment in his folded up cape, Robin hurries over.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Thanks, Alfred. Ya hungry?<strong>

He hands Alfred the cape and gets in to change. Alfred's eyebrow raises.

INT. RECEPTION - STELLA MARINA

Dick Grayson, dressed in the finest tuxedo money can buy, walks in with Alfred just behind him. They are eyed by FRANZ, the maitre d.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>May I help you, gentlemen?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Yes, we'd like a table for two, please.<strong>

**FRANZ**  
><strong>And under what name is the reservation?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Wayne. Bruce Wayne.<strong>

Franz eyes him.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>You are not Bruce Wayne.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>That's right. I'm Dick Grayson and this is Alfred Pennyworth, my date.<strong>

Alfred rolls his eyes.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I believe Mr. Wayne has a table on permanent reserve. We'll take that one.<strong>

Franz recognizes Alfred's name and springs into action.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>Of course. Mr. Pennyworth, we've heard a great deal about you. Such a pleasure it is to finally meet you. Theodore!<strong>

A waiter, THEODORE, races over.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne's table and a bottle of Dom Perignon White. Now, go.<strong>

Theodore skitters away as Franz grabs two menus.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>Right this way, gentlemen.<strong>

Franz leads them into...

INT. DINING ROOM - STELLA MARINA

Franz leads Grayson and Alfred passed Verity and Randall's table, where Randall is showing Verity something on his laptop. Grayson spies the screen, and the lady, with great interest.

Theodore rushes over with a bottle of Dom Perignon just as Grayson and Alfred sit down at their table.

**THEODORE**  
><strong>Shall we begin with the caviar?<strong>

Alfred scans the menu.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Actually, I'll start with the sunchoke veloute, and the lobster salad for the young man.<strong>

**FRANZ**  
><strong>Very good, sir. Right away.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Can I get a diet coke?<strong>

Franz and Theodore simultaneously recoil, as if he's just insulted them. It might have something to do with the six hundred dollar bottle of wine Theodore brought to the table.

Dick realizes he's made a mistake. He just doesn't know what it was.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Pepsi?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>He'll take a Dolce Vita and I'll have a dry Rittenhouse with carrot juice.<strong>

**THEODORE**  
><strong>And one diet coke?<strong>

Grayson smiles.

**FRANZ**  
><strong>Enjoy your evening, Mr. Pennyworth. Sir.<strong>

Franz and Theodore leave.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Did I say something wrong?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Of course not, Master Dick. Though, you may wish to brace yourself. I don't believe you'll find strawberry Pop Tarts with rainbow sprinkles on the dessert menu.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>That's Randall Simpkins over there, sitting with the redhead.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Not exactly a matched set.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I don't think it's a date.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>(reading menu)<strong>  
><strong>I was talking about his jacket and pants. Are they even the same color?<strong>

Grayson removes a cell phone from his pocket and uses it to take a picture of Verity. He uploads the picture to...

INT. BATCAVE

The picture of Verity downloads into a facial recognition program. The computer searches for a match.

INT. DINING ROOM - STELLA MARINA

Later...

Alfred is well into his meal, but Dick's steak has a single bite out of it. He's too preoccupied with spying on Randall, who continues to try and impress Verity with whatever is on his laptop.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>That was when I realized he'd made a canon out of the bloody thing. Blew a hole through a Chrysler. It then ricocheted through the garage ceiling, where it nearly struck me while I was sewing up the drapes in the study. I've dodged my fair share of canon fire, but never in my own home. That's when I knew I had to teach him up before he got out of control.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>(distracted)<strong>  
><strong>Mmhm.<strong>

Alfred stops what he's doing, wipes his mouth with the napkin across his lap.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>But I do not wish to bore you, sir.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I'm listening.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>As my head currently resides woefully afar of the ruby lady's ample bosom, you'll forgive my skepticism.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>It is... ample.<strong>

Dick reads from her bio currently displayed on his cell phone.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>So is her wrap sheet. She goes by Verity Lusset.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>(corrects his pronunciation)<strong>  
><strong>Lusset.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>You know her?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I know French.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>To be fair, she isn't French. Her real name is Anya Pavelski. When she was eleven, she was purchased as a Russian mail order bride and brought to the United States. That's not too messed up. Her "husband" was arrested, but rather than deport her, they threw her into the system. She got popped for drugs a few years later, spent time in Morrisville, where it's believed she went under the tutelage of Mother Gwendolyn; the infamous "Gangster Grandma". Since then, she's acted as a sort of criminal headhunter; a closer with connections to every crime family and organization in the city, and up and down the East coast.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Fascinating dinner conversation.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>She's big. Simpkins has got to be our guy.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Don't jump to conclusions. We don't know enough about either one of them yet.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>You think it's coincidence that Simpkins is meeting with a career criminal one night after another criminal with similar qualifications and mission in hand takes a header off of a bridge?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in having all of the information, first. I've ruled out Martinez, on my end. I'm almost to deGromm. I'll also take Ferrelly. You keep on those two.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Right.<strong>

Theodore, their waiter, arrives at the table with another bottle of wine.

**THEODORE**  
><strong>Can I open up another bottle of wine for you, Mr. Pennyworth?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>No, thank you, young man. But I think I'd like to try some of the tiramisu. And a spot of earl grey would be lovely, if it isn't too much trouble.<strong>

**THEODORE**  
><strong>The tiramisu may take up to forty-five minutes to prepare.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Something tells me we have some time.<strong>

Theodore nods, removes some dirty plates from the table, and walks away to fetch Alfred's tea.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I'd have asked if you wanted a treat for dessert, but as you've barely touched your plate, I couldn't see breaking the pastry chef's heart.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Can't indulge in the middle of a mission. I guess I could doggy bag something and have you take it home for me.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>No, you absolutely may not "doggy bag" something.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>You know, here I thought I was the one on the case, but you've been on mine the entire night. Is this because he let me out of the cave without a thorough enough spanking?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>How Master Bruce chooses to address your insubordination is his business, and I make it a point never to interfere in his business.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>But you're not above commenting on it.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Call it the perquisite of the elderly.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Then, what is your problem? I thought you'd welcome the chance to get out of the mansion for once; eat food someone else cooked, let someone else clean the dishes.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I enjoy cooking and doing the dishes.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>No one enjoys washing dishes.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>That's because most people look at it as if it is a tedious chore. I do it in service of two great men I've known since they were boys, and I do it because I love them. When you asked me to dinner, I knew you were on a mission, and I didn't look at it as an evening release from my laborious duties. I saw it as an opportunity to spend time with you, but all you've done is stare at that buxom dame all the evening, pondering the many ways you undoubtedly plan to pummel the poor Mr. Simpkins and whichever nefarious ne'er-do-well's opened his pockets in the pursuit of unleashing some as yet undetermined calamity on Gotham.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Oh.<strong>

Dick looks down, embarrassed to have disappointed Alfred.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>But, I mean, I have to stay focused. This is a mission, Alfred.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>And how has it served you to remove humanity from your mission in recent days? It would not have compromised you to talk to me.<strong>

Grayson is about to say something when he notices out of the corner of his eye that Verity and Simpkins have left their table and are headed for the exit. He turns back to Alfred.

Alfred pulls the car keys from his jacket pocket and hands them to Dick.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I'll take a cab... after the tiramisu.<strong>

Dick stands up and discreetly pursues.

EXT. PARKING LOT - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

Verity walks Simpkins to his car; an older model Lexus. In the background, we see Dick Grayson exit the restaurant and walk towards the Rolls Royce.

**VERITY**  
><strong>Of course, Mr. Simpkins, I should not need to impress upon you the importance of keeping these negotiations a secret. You'll be hearing from my employer in short order. Stay by your phone.<strong>

**SIMPKINS**  
><strong>I hope to hear from you again, soon, also, hopefully.<strong>

Verity smiles and touches his face.

**VERITY**  
><strong>Play your cards right.<strong>

She winks, then heads off in the direction of a red sports car parked across the lot.

INT. ROLLS ROYCE - STELLA MARINA PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Dick eyes both Simpkins and Verity in the rear view mirror.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>They're splitting up. I can only follow one of them.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Stick to Simpkins. He's the one they need to complete the job. He's the one we need to stop.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>But Verity could lead us to whoever's in charge.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You don't know that. She's a middleman. It's just as likely her role in this is over.<strong>

In the rear view mirror, we see Verity's car start to pull out its parking spot.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Or she might be headed to her boss right now to report back on her meeting with Simpkins. Trust me, you didn't see this woman. If she were in my employ, I'd want to be around her as often as possible. I can tag Simpkins' car and follow the girl.<strong>

Dick starts the engine.

EXT. PARKING LOT - STELLA MARINA - NIGHT

With his window open, Grayson drives the Rolls Royce behind Simpkins' car and shoots a magnetic tracer onto its rear bumper. He then follows the red sports car out of the parking lot.

INT. TRAILER PARK - NIGHT

In the shadows behind a trailer park, Batman stands outside the parked Batmobile, hand to his ear.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Fine, but stay objective. I'll take Simpkins when I'm done here.<strong>

**GRAYSON (V.O.)**  
><strong>Why are you even still bothering with deGromm?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>For one, I'm already here. Two, just because we suspect Simpkins is Pryce's replacement, doesn't mean the others are dead ends. I expect an update on your progress in half an hour. Batman out.<strong>

Batman stalks one of the trailers. He slinks by a sleeping rottweiler chained to a post, then climbs up onto the trailer's roof.

INT. DEGROMM'S TRAILER - NIGHT

Inside the rundown trailer, it's remarkably clean, and even more remarkably pink. The walls are pink. The stove and microwave are pink. The carpet is pink. The television is pink. There's a pink fuzzy couch, on which sits a pink poodle next to its owner; PEARL, a young twenty-something with a Barbie doll body and hockey player face.

A knock at the door. The poodle looks up.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Huuh, who could that be, Cicero? A gentleman caller, perhaps?<strong>

Pearl pops up, walks over, and opens the door.

EXT. TRAILER PARK - NIGHT

Pearl opens the door.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Kenny?<strong>

She sees something in the grass about ten feet away. It glistens in the moonlight.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Oo, shiny!<strong>

She hops down and walks over. She picks up out of the grass a small silver star with a bat-symbol in the center.

We hear a bark behind her.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Weird shiny.<strong>

She bites the star. Is it white gold, silver, platinum?

INT. DEGROMM'S TRAILER - NIGHT

Pearl looks around to make sure no one's looking as she pockets the batarang, then turns and runs back inside the trailer. She closes the door, then turns around to see her beloved Cicero poodle with his mouth clamped shut by the Batman.

Pearl gasps and turns back toward the door. A second batarang flies over her shoulder and lodges in the door frame by the side of her head.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Oo, another shiny.<strong>

She pries the star from the door frame and pockets it.

**PEARL**  
><strong>I didn't steal this stuff. It's all mine, bought and paid for.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Where's Kenneth deGromm?<strong>

**PEARL**  
><strong>He ain't here.<strong>

Batman's hand moves. The dog whimpers.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Don't! Hurt. My dog. I don't know where he is. Honest. Couple guys came looking for him 'round morning. Kenny tells me to take Cicero for a walk. When I came home, there's a note says he went for a boat ride. It don't make any sense, neither. Kenny hates the water ever since he was in the Navy on account of the accident.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Describe the men.<strong>

**PEARL**  
><strong>I don't know. There were four of them, all ugly, except for one of 'em. He called me 'princess'. Except I think he might've been a fag. He smelled all perfumey.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>What else? Did they give you their names or say where they were taking Kenneth?<strong>

**PEARL**  
><strong>I don't know. Um, they were all white. I mean, no spics or ni-<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>What kind of car did they drive?<strong>

**PEARL**  
><strong>A black one?<strong>

Batman puts the dog down then moves for the door, but Pearl leans back against it to block his way out.

**PEARL**  
><strong>Oh, um, I think maybe I might remember more stuff, but I'm not so sure. Sometimes I remember things better... in the morning... ya know? When I've had a good night sleep.<strong>

She touches his chest.

**PEARL**  
><strong>I won't scream or anything. Unless you like that.<strong>

He raises his hand to her face and sprays her with a fine mist. The lights in her eyes go out and she faints into his arms.

Batman carries Pearl over to the couch, lays her down, and places a pink blanket over her. He turns the volume off on the television and grabs a dog treat from an open box on a nearby shelf. He tosses it to Cicero, who catches it.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>(to Cicero)<strong>  
><strong>Be good.<strong>

Cicero barks. Batman leaves.

- To be Continued... -


	5. 5 - Verity

EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT

The Batmobile races through the streets of Gotham City. Cars pull over as they see it coming, like they would for an ambulance.

INT. BATMOBILE - NIGHT

Batman watches the road as he touches the phone button on his steering wheel. An audible "ding" is heard.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Call Jim Gordon.<strong>

The phone dials.

**GORDON (V.O.)**  
><strong>Gordon.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I need you to put an APB out on a man by the name of Kenneth deGromm. He's ex-military, probably the Navy or Coast Guard, missing since early this morning.<strong>

**GORDON (V.O.)**  
><strong>Not necessary.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Why not?<strong>

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

Commissioner Gordon stands in an alley near a dumpster as a CSI TEAM gathers evidence around the body of a man with his throat slashed. In one hand, Gordon holds a red cell phone. In the other, the dead man's wallet inside of a plastic bag. He reads the name on the man's license: Kenneth H. deGromm.

**GORDON**  
><strong>Because I'm looking at Kenneth deGromm right now. He's dead. Someone slashed his throat and dumped him in an alley. Wallet's empty of cash and cards but I take it, since you're looking for him, we can rule out a mugging?<strong>

INT. BATMOBILE - NIGHT

Batman thinks.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Where did you find him? What's the address?<strong>

**GORDON (V.O.)**  
><strong>Couple of uniforms found him at West Ward and Ninth.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>That's nowhere near the harbor.<strong>

**GORDON (V.O.)**  
><strong>You want to say that again?<strong>

Batman's eyes widen.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I gotta go.<strong>

He calibrates his GPS to home in on the signal of the tracker Robin placed on Randall Simpkins' car and floors it.

EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT

The Batmobile races forward, even faster than before.

EXT. PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

Verity is seen handing the keys to her sports car to the VALET outside the Paul Aumont Grande Hotel. Dick Grayson watches from the street as she heads inside, then pulls into the drive and beneath the porte-cochere. A SECOND VALET circles the Rolls Royce as he exits the vehicle.

Grayson pulls a hundred dollar bill from his pocket and slides it into the valet's hand.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>For whatever you know about the lady just before me.<strong>

The valet notices the bill is a hundred and is briefly taken aback.

**SECOND VALET**  
><strong>With this, I could buy her a drink. Maybe two. Maybe one and a half. At the bar.<strong>

Dick nods and hands the valet the keys to the Rolls Royce. He enters the hotel.

INT. LOBBY - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Grayson enters the lavish lobby of the up-scale hotel and approaches the front desk. He is greeted by the DESK CLERK.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I need a room.<strong>

He slides a black credit card across the counter.

**DESK CLERK**  
><strong>Certainly, sir.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>And where's the bar?<strong>

INT. BAR - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

A dark restaurant and bar where international dignitaries, businessmen, and socialites come to unwind and impress each other with their disposable income. Light piano music plays.

Grayson enters and immediately spots Verity at the far end of the bar, under a wall clock, drinking alone. He sits away from her and orders...

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Bloody Mary, but it's okay if she likes to pretend in front of family.<strong>

The bartender mixes Dick's drink.

EXT. ERGO APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

The tracer on Randall Simpkins' car. We pull back to see that the car is parked outside the building.

We move up to Randall Simpkins' apartment window. In its reflection, we see a black spot grow larger as it gets closer.

A small metal object attaches to the glass and let's out a sonic shriek. The glass shatters just as Batman glides through the air, reaches the window and dives inside.

INT. BEDROOM - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT

Batman rolls inside and pops up onto his feet.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Randall Simpkins?<strong>

He looks in the closet, the bathroom, then moves out into...

INT. LIVING ROOM - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT

Batman runs inside and searches the apartment. No Randall.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Dammit!<strong>

He touches his ear piece.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Robin, come in.<strong>

INT. BAR - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Dick Grayson moves away from the bar and slides into a booth with a view of Verity.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Yeah?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Randall Simpkins isn't in his apartment. His car is here, but he's not.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Where the hell did he go?<strong>

INT. LIVING ROOM - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT

Batman searches the apartment.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I don't know!<strong>

He finds a cigarette butt on the floor under the coffee table. He picks it up, puts it in a plastic bag, and then puts the bag in his utility belt.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>They must have been waiting for him when he got here. If you had tailed him like I told you, you might have been able to stop them. Now, he could be dead.<strong>

Batman looks up at the ceiling and finds a pair of smoke detectors; one by the front door and one by the bedroom door.

INT. BAR - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Why would they kill him if they're trying to hire him to do a job?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Why did they kill Kenneth deGromm?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>... DeGromm's dead?<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Yes, and Simpkins might be next. Or they hired him for the job and he's working with them, now. We're in the dark, either way.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>That makes Verity our only link to this group, whoever they are, and our only chance to stop whatever they're planning.<strong>

**BATMAN (V.O.)**  
><strong>You're not listening to me. I'm pulling you off this case. Send me your location and I'll follow Verity.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>I am listening to you. I made a mistake. Now, I made another. That's why I have to make this right. Dick Grayson can follow her without being noticed. Bruce Wayne, the man with his face plastered all over the tv and this morning's newspaper, cannot. I'll be in touch.<strong>

Grayson removes the ear piece from his ear and puts it in his pocket.

He sips his drink and eyes Verity.

INT. BEDROOM - RANDALL SIMPKINS' APARTMENT

Batman runs a finger across the window sill and inspects his finger for dust. He leans out the window and looks down, inspecting the wall.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Robin? Robin?!<strong>

He climbs out the window and jumps.

EXT. ERGO APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Batman uses his grappler then glides across the street to the roof of a higher building. He removes a pair of binoculars from his utility belt and uses it to scan the outside of the apartment building as well as the surrounding street.

BATMAN'S POV: We see a close-up view of the outside of the building, a few nearby stores, and a traffic camera mounted to the street light at the corner.

He makes note of the camera location as he leaves.

INT. BAR - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Later...

The crowd has thinned out a bit, but not by much. Verity still sits alone at the bar. Her emerald eyes drift to the clock on the wall every so often. It's time to move in.

Grayson approaches and sits down at the stool beside her. He motions for the bartender to come over.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Another for me, and for the lady.<strong>

The bartender looks at Verity. She shakes her head no. He mixes one drink for Dick and slides it over.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>If you're finished, we could just go back to my room. Doesn't look like he's coming.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Who?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Whoever stood you up, doll.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Maybe I came here to be alone.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>If you had wanted to be alone, you could have picked a more secluded place, in a more secluded dress.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>But what is more lonely than to sit in a room full of people who know nothing about you and don't care to?<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Oh, I think there are quite a few in this room who would care to know more about you. Or maybe you just enjoy torturing men's souls.<strong>

Something catches in Verity's throat. She sips her martini.

**VERITY**  
><strong>Maybe they deserve it.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>There's a word for women like you.<strong>

Verity looks at him, braces for insult.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Independent.<strong>

She looks him over with renewed interest, then steals another glance up at the clock on the wall. It reads "10:14".

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Unless you're not.<strong>

He looks at her.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Maybe some men's souls deserve a little more torture than others.<strong>

She considers the clock.

INT. GRAYSON'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Verity walks towards the white silk bed, drops her purse on the floor, then turns around to face him.

**VERITY**  
><strong>I have to be in my room at midnight exactly, or he'll come looking for me.<strong>

Grayson walks towards her, removes his tuxedo jacket.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>We'll have you back before the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella.<strong>

From behind, we watch as he walks up to her and slips the sides of her dress over her shoulders. It falls to the floor, revealing even more of her perfect hourglass body. They embrace.

INT. BATCAVE

Alfred waits at attention as the Batmobile pulls to a stop next to Robin's parked motorcycle.

Batman gets out of the Batmobile and motions to the motorcycle as he approaches Alfred.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>He's here?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>I took the liberty of driving it back via remote, sir.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>He left it on the side of a building, again? How's he keeping his tail on Verity? Wait...<strong>

He stops, looks at Alfred with stern eyes.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>You let him borrow the Rolls?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>It was necessary to maintain his cover.<strong>

Furious, Batman marches away from Alfred and over to the computer.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I cannot believe that you, of all people, would further enable his behavior.<strong>

Batman removes the cigarette he retrieved from Simpkins' apartment and puts it into an evidence receptacle attached to the computer. He initiates a scan.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Yes, sir, if there's anything I'm not it's an enabler impetuous behavior.<strong>

Alfred rolls his eyes.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I never should have reinstated him. That's a mistake I won't make again soon.<strong>

Batman sits at the computer and reviews the scans of the cigarette.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I found this in Randall Simpkins' apartment, but there were no ashtrays, no ashes on the window sill or burn marks on the wall outside the window from ashes blown back against the building. There were also two working smoke detectors he hadn't tampered with.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Then, Mr. Simpkins isn't a smoker.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>And this brand of cigarette isn't common, either. It's Eastern European, not something you're likely to find at the local corner store. How much do you want to bet it's from whoever was waiting for him in his apartment?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>You think the poor Mr. Simpkins has met with some unfortunate end?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>There were no signs of a struggle, but that doesn't mean anything. They killed Kenneth deGromm, but that could be because they either weren't happy with him for some reason or because he refused their offer. He told his girlfriend he was going for a boat ride, but they didn't find his body anywhere near the water. And if he was afraid of the water, why would he agree to go on one in the first place?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Why does anyone in this unsavory business do anything?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Money. That was my thought as well. So, they kill him to tie up loose ends, but that means they still need an engineer for whatever they're planning. Maybe they found one in Randall Simpkins.<strong>

On the computer, the analysis of the cigarette completes; "INCONCLUSIVE"

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Looks like the sample is too contaminated to pull DNA or finger prints. But, on the way over, I had Jim grant me access to the traffic camera footage from the nearby traffic light.<strong>

He pulls up footage from the traffic camera and fast forwards to a point where he sees a group of four men get out of a black sedan. One of the men is smoking.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>There.<strong>

The SMOKING MAN drops the cigarette and stomps it out with his foot. He fast forwards the footage to a few minutes later and it shows them exiting the building with Randall Simpkins.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>He stomped it out with his foot and didn't realize it stuck to the bottom of his shoe. He tracked it inside Simpkins' apartment. And here they are with Simpkins.<strong>

**ALFRED  
>He doesn't appear to be under duress. <strong>

**BATMAN  
>No, he doesn't. Now, I isolate their faces.<strong>

On the screen, the four thugs' faces are isolated and run through facial recognition software. Batman and Alfred wait for the results of the scan.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Has he contacted you?<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Not since his last report.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I don't know what to do. It didn't start out like this. He looked up to me, did what I told him to do, was an effective partner. He's gotten arrogant, thinks he's invincible, thinks he's Superman.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Reminds me of someone I used to know.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>If he can't follow orders, he's not going to be useful to me.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Is that why you bestowed upon him the mantle of the Robin? So he could be useful to you? I was under the impression that it was because you cared about the boy and his future.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Of course, I care about him. But if he keeps this up, he's going to get himself killed. It's precisely because I care about him that I need to protect him. He doesn't listen.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>He's young. If all young men listened, the job of a parent would be easy. It's precisely because they don't listen that they need encouragement and an example to which they can aspire.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I'm not Dick's father, Alfred.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>And I'm not yours, but I haven't slept through the god damn night in 25 years.<strong>

Batman is taken aback by Alfred's tone and choice of language. It's not something he's used to hearing from the gentlemanly Mr. Pennyworth.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>You think I've agreed with every decision you've made? Been behind every choice? When your parents died, I made a promise to them at the very site of their grave that I would protect you as if you were my own, and lead you into manhood as I imagine they would have wanted. Yet, here we are, and every single night you go out and I hold my breath wondering if tonight is the night I break my promise.<strong>

Alfred composes himself.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Never once have I stood in the way of your self-imposed mission to fight crime in this city, despite all that, and do you know the reason why? Because part of this whole bloody thing is not knowing. Not even you can escape that. And if this is the man you choose to be, I'm going to be by your side. I will never leave you alone in the storm.<strong>

A tired Bruce removes his cowl.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>All right.<strong>

The facial recognition software completes its search. The four names are Higgin Foulkes, Victor Zomyaev (Smoking Man), Sammy Slagg, and...

**BRUCE**  
><strong>William King, "the Clock King".<strong>

Alfred and Bruce focus on the image of the bespectacled mastermind.

-To be Continued...-


	6. 6 - Magnanimous

INT. GRAYSON'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

Verity wakes up next to Dick Grayson, his arm wrapped around her waist. Her eyes immediately go to the alarm clock on the end table. It reads: "12:32".

**VERITY**  
><strong>Shit.<strong>

She explodes out of the bed and starts putting her clothes back on. Grayson watches her dress.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>He made you wait.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>You don't understand the kind of man he is.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>The jealous type?<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>The dangerous type.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>In that case, you might want to fix your hair.<strong>

She zips up her dress and runs into the bathroom to fix her hair. This gives Grayson the chance he needs. He slips out of the bed and withdraws his wallet from his pants that are on the ground. From inside the wallet, he removes a short range tracker that he then hides in her open purse.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>If he's dangerous, why do you stay with him?<strong>

He carries the purse over to her and stands in the doorway of the bathroom to admire her as she fixes her hair.

**VERITY**  
><strong>I'm not <em>with<em> him. I just work for him.**

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>Why do you work for him?<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Everyone has to work for someone.<strong>

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>But you don't have to work for <em>him<em>.**

Having put herself moderately back together, she takes the purse from him and kisses him on the cheek.

**VERITY**  
><strong>This was fun, but there are two things you need to learn. One, don't ask questions.<strong>

She steps around him and heads for the door.

**GRAYSON**  
><strong>And the second?<strong>

She winks at him and leaves.

He walks over to the desk in the room and retrieves his cell phone. On it, he opens up the tracker app. He gets dressed.

INT. HALLWAY - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Verity exits the elevator and heads for her room.

EXT. PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

Dick secures his Robin mask to his face, but is otherwise in his civilian clothes. He opens the window and climbs out onto the ledge. He shuffles to his left, over to a flagpole from which hangs the United States flag at a forty-five degree angle.

INT. HALLWAY - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Verity checks her cell phone as she approaches room 712. The clock app reads: "12:44".

She slides her card key into the door lock. The light on the lock turns green.

INT. VERITY'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Verity enters. Waiting for her, seated at the end of the bed, is William King. Zomyaev and Slagg are also there with him, each standing on opposite sides of the room. She sees the three of them and does her best to swallow the knot in her throat.

**KING**  
><strong>You're late, my dear.<strong>

EXT. PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

Robin walks to the end of the flagpole like a tightrope walker in the circus. When he reaches the end, he turns around to once again face the building. He then crouches down and stands up, several times in succession, with the pole bending from his weight a little more each time. After one final crouch, the pole bends to its max, and he uses the built up momentum to propel himself up two full floors. He grabs the ledge and climbs up.

On his cell phone, Robin tracks Verity's position to a specific room on his current floor. He shuffles across to outside that room and is just barely able to see inside through a small opening in the side of the curtain. Opening an eavesdrop app on his phone, he presses the back of it to the glass and is able to hear the conversation taking place within.

**VERITY (V.O.)**  
><strong>I delivered the engineer.<strong>

INT. VERITY'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

King looks at his pocket watch.

**KING**  
><strong>That was three hours and forty-seven minutes ago, during which time we were able to collect Mr. Simpkins, brief him on the mission, introduce him to the rest of our crew, and arrive here on schedule. You had only to come straight back to your room.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>I have other clients.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>And are they all so magnanimous with their timetables?<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>I expect the other half of what I'm owed.<strong>

King smiles, stands.

**KING**  
><strong>Do you?<strong>

He walks over to her, smells her hair. He licks his index finger and then wipes it across the smudged glitter of her exposed cleavage. She tries to not to react.

**KING**  
><strong>Maybe I feel like you've already been paid for your exploits this evening.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>We've worked together many times.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>And never once have you made me wait, until today, on the eve of the greatest job of all our lives.<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>Even you don't want to make an enemy of Mother.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."<strong>

**VERITY**  
><strong>What?<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>I serve the Almighty. Whom shall I fear?<strong>

King clears out of Zomyaev's line of sight.

EXT. PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

Robin looks on helplessly as Zomyaev pulls a silenced gun and shoots Verity three times in the chest.

INT. VERITY'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

With Verity dead on the floor in a pool of her own blood, King motions for his men to follow him out. Zomyaev holsters his weapon. Slagg walks over to Verity's body and bends down.

**SLAGG**  
><strong>Just a second.<strong>

He opens the front of her dress to sneak a peak at what's underneath.

**SLAGG**  
><strong>Waste.<strong>

He stands up and sees King and Zomyaev staring at him.

**SLAGG**  
><strong>What? I always wanted to know.<strong>

**ZOMYAEV**  
><strong>Can we go now?<strong>

A knock...

The three men freeze. It was a definite knock, but it didn't come from the door.

The three men set their attention on the window.

**KING**  
><strong>(to Slagg)<strong>  
><strong>Check it.<strong>

Slagg draws his gun and approaches the window. Zomyaev follows, his gun also drawn. King stays by the door.

Slagg reaches the window and creates a small opening between the curtains to look out. After a quick glimpse, he grabs one of the curtains and yanks it wide open to reveal...

Gotham City at night.

He looks out, to the left, then the right. He turns around.

**SLAGG**  
><strong>Probably just some bird drunk of its ass.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>Open the window and look, you idiot.<strong>

Slagg opens the window and looks left, right, and down. He turns back around.

**SLAGG**  
><strong>I'm tellin' ya, boss, there's nothing out th-<strong>

He should have looked up.

Robin swings inside from above and lands a kick into Slagg's back, knocking the henchman into Zomyaev, and the both of them onto the bed. Zomyaev's gun falls from his hand and lands on the floor next to Verity's body.

Breathing through gritted teeth, the exposed areas of his face red with rage, Robin eyes King, who immediately turns and runs. Robin thinks about pursuing, but sees Zomyaev reach for his gun.

With no other choice but to abandon his pursuit of King, Robin kicks Zomyaev's hand away, and then the gun. Slagg gets to his feet on the other side of the bed and tries to point his gun at Robin, but the quick-thinking Grayson grabs the back of a nearby wooden chair and hurls it at Slagg's face.

Slagg's distraction gives Zomyaev opportunity to kick Robin away from the bed. He gets to his feet and launches a vicious barrage of punches, all of which Robin either dodges or blocks. Robin counters with a quick jab to Zomyaev's throat, then grabs the larger man by the collar and yanks him forward. This puts Zomyaev head first into a wall mirror, which shatters and slices up his face.

Slagg pushes the chair out of his way and tries to get up, but Robin leaps onto the bed and uses the mattress as a springboard to kick Slagg in the side of the head with both feet. The force of the kick is so strong, it puts Slagg's head through the sheet rock and knocks him unconscious.

A bloodied Zomyaev reaches down and picks up a shard of the shattered mirror, then goes for his gun on the other side of the room. Robin is fast enough to cut him off by lowering his shoulder and driving it into the man's chest. Zomyaev has time enough to stab Robin in the upper shoulder with the glass, but only once before he is driven into the wall opposite the bathroom, which jars the shard from his hand.

Zomyaev recovers fast, clenches his meaty fists and drives them from high above his own head and down onto Robin's back. Sensing he's lost the advantage, Robin turns so that his back is to the bathroom, then pulls Zomyaev forward into the bathroom straight for the tub. As they reach the tub, Robin trips backwards into it, but Zomyaev's momentum slams the larger man face first into the tiled wall of the shower. Unconscious, Zomyaev falls on top of Robin in the tub.

Taking just a moment to catch his breath, Robin pushes Zomyaev's body out of his way. He climbs out of the tub and runs out into...

INT. HALLWAY - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Robin looks left and then right, but William King is long gone. He retreats back into...

INT. VERITY'S HOTEL ROOM - PAUL AUMONT GRANDE

Robin closes the door, then walks over to Verity. He gets down next to her, on his knees, and caresses her face a moment before kissing her on the forehead. He picks himself up and walks over to the phone on the night stand and dials.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>There's been a murder at the Paul Aumont Grande, room 712. There were three of them, two are down, one escaped. Send the police.<strong>

He hangs up the phone, then removes his own cell phone from his pocket. He takes Slagg's picture and scans the man's thumb. He then moves into the bathroom and takes Zomyaev's picture and scans his thumb. He uploads the scans to...

INT. BATCAVE

At the computer, Batman is surprised when what he's doing is interrupted by the upload from Robin. He and Alfred review the photos.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>My word. He's beaten them to a bloody pulp.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>That's his job.<strong>

The final scan is of Verity's body.

Both Batman and Alfred are speechless.

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>There was nothing I could do.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Come. Home.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Yeah, I'm on my way.<strong>

EXT. PAUL AUMONT GRANDE - NIGHT

William King scuttles outside just as Foulkes arrives in a black Mercedes. King gets in and Foulkes drives off.

INT. KING'S MERCEDES - NIGHT

Foulkes peers at King through the rearview.

**FOULKES**  
><strong>Slagg and Zomyaev?<strong>

King shakes his head.

**KING**  
><strong>Looks like we're gonna need another couple of guys.<strong>

King huffs.

**KING  
><strong>**And make sure you're not tailed. There are bats about.**

Foulkes nods.

EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT

The black Mercedes darts across several lanes of traffic to shake the tail that isn't following them.

-To be Continued...-


	7. 7 - Rosevale

INT. BATCAVE

A beleaguered Robin winces in a chair as Alfred's steady hands sew shut the gaping bloody stab wound in his shoulder left by Zomyaev. He's also hooked up intravenously to a blood bag.

Batman pulls up King's bio on the large monitor.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>That's him. That's the third man from the hotel. He hired Verity, and he's the one who had her killed.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>His name is William King, aka "the Clock King". Obsessive compulsive, meticulously executes his plans down to the second. He fancies himself an English gentleman, even though he's Irish.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>(scoffs)<strong>  
><strong>Damn, Irish.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>There are currently ten active warrants for his arrest in over four countries, mostly for heists of one kind or another. It's rumored he was the one behind the Central City Museum robbery a couple years back. The take from that job alone was estimated at over thirty million and would be his greatest theft to date, if it was actually him.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>What he's got planned is bigger than that. I heard him say it.<strong>

Batman works at the computer.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I've been doing some research, trying to identify possible targets that have anything to do with the water or boats. There's a new cruise ship leaving port in Miami in three days, called the "Millennium Star of the Sea". It's the largest cruise ship on the planet and tickets for her maiden voyage are in high demand. There's going to be a lot of money on that boat in the accumulated wealth of its passengers.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>(shakes head)<strong>  
><strong>No, this is going down tomorrow. I heard him tell Verity this was the eve of the biggest job of his life.<strong>

Batman cycles through to another potential target.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>The Dutch Ambassador, Esmee Brecht, is due to arrive at Port Lawrence at three tomorrow afternoon. Her mother and father were both killed in a plane crash when she was seven, so she never flies. Estimated net worth: $112 million.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Why would he need an engineer to kidnap or assassinate an Ambassador?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Nothing else stands out as an immediate target. Unless he slips up between now and the morning, we might have no choice but to assume the target is somewhere in Gotham Harbor and just cover our home turf.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>That's a big assumption.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>And an even bigger harbor.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Rosevale's stuck in the harbor until the Sionis takeover goes through. Maybe Bruce Wayne should pay them an unscheduled visit in the morning. I could let the hardware planner take me on a tour of the data center; see how much dust all those empty servers have collected since the DoD contract fell through.<strong>

Batman turns away from the computer and walks over to inspect Robin's wound.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>How's the shoulder?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Hurts.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I wasn't asking you.<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>The blood made it look worse than it is, but I'd be interested to hear what Dr. Thompkins has to say in the morning about the scans I sent her.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Is this the part where you yell at me?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I'm not going to yell at you. You're an adult. You're old enough to learn from your own mistakes. I just wish you would, before you get yourself killed. If you had given me your location-<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>You would have sent me home, King still would have gotten away, and it'd be your shoulder Alfred would be stitching up right now.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I would have gotten King.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>There were three of them.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I'm Batman.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>That's not an argument!<strong>

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Hold still, please, unless you want this scar jagged like a bow-legged street walker from Cardiff.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>They split up. The only way to get King would have been if you had had my back, if it had been Batman and Robin working together; one of us taking on the goons, while the other cut off the exit route. But you're too busy playing dictator. I'm your partner, not your pawn.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>The proper move would have been to follow them back to their hideout.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I couldn't do that.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Why not?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Because I couldn't!<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong><em>That<em> is not an argument.**

Robin fights the urge to scream. He exhales deeply and hangs his head.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>They killed her right in front of me. He shot her right in the chest.<strong>

Batman and Alfred share a concerned look as Robin exhibits a moment of vulnerability and regret.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>This isn't the first time you've watched someone die. It's not even the first time this week.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>It's also not the first time this week it was my fault. Isn't that what you're trying to say?<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>You made it personal. You can't ever make it personal.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>And <em>this<em> isn't personal for you?**

Robin taps the bat symbol on Batman's chest several times in succession.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>This? This, here? Don't tell me <em>this<em> isn't personal.**

Alfred finishes the last stitch and picks up a pair of scissors. Robin looks back.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Are we done?<strong>

Alfred cuts the stitching thread.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>Finished.<strong>

Robin stands up, yanks the IV out of his arm, and gets in Batman's face.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>You're not pulling me off this case. I'm going to the harbor tomorrow, with or without you.<strong>

**BATMAN**  
><strong>I believe you.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Start working up where you want me while "Bruce Wayne" takes his tour of Rosevale. I'm taking a shower.<strong>

Robin walks off. Batman and Alfred watch him go.

**BATMAN**  
><strong>Did that punk just give me an order?<strong>

Batman walks away to start working up a plan. Alfred shakes his head.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>(under his breath)<strong>  
><strong>Takes after his father.<strong>

Alfred cleans up.

EXT. ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

If you were to only look at the clear blue sky and bright sun, you might think we were somewhere tropical, sunbathing on a beach with a mojito. You would be wrong.

Bruce Wayne emerges from a limousine driven by Alfred. He wears a trim tailored suit and thousand dollar sunglasses. Around him, the port is bustling, with monstrous ships both loading and unloading their cargo containers via enormous cranes.

But Bruce's eyes go only to _Rosevale_; a cross between a stealth ship and a barge carrying what looks like half of a sideways black skyscraper with the Wayne Enterprises logo emblazoned across it. It is ugly, immense, and... alone. She just sort of sits there in the water. All the work being done is being done around her.

Two additional vehicles pull up behind Bruce. His entourage consists of Lucius Fox, twin administrative assistant BILLIE and SOPHIA (30's, brunettes, hired for beauty but retained for capability), and bodyguards JAYAKUMAR (weathered tough) and STADEN (just tough).

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Thought you were skiing.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You can ski on water.<strong>

Lucius shakes Bruce's hand.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Have you ever met Coughlin? You don't have to laugh at his jokes. You're the boss. Just know that we're all going to be very uncomfortable if you don't.<strong>

Lucius leads Bruce towards the ramp to board the ship.

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

CAPTAIN MIKE COUGHLIN (60's, skinny, full of himself) leads Bruce's group on a tour of the main deck, along with hardware planner GEORGE ARGENTA (50's, round in the middle, crewcut).

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>Behind you is "Kansas", our house; that's the crew quarters, the mess, hospital, and rec room. One day, I'm gonna figure out how to drop it on my ex-wife.<strong>

Bruce and Lucius share a look. Coughlin continues...

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>In the ass section, we don't have a hold, but you've got your engines, weapons system, sonar and radar detection grids, and the bridge command center, where I mostly just pretend.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Don't you mean the "aft" section?<strong>

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>No, I mean the ass section. She's got a big ass, don't you think? Kind of like my ex-wife.<strong>

The ladies look uncomfortable. Finally, Bruce smiles to break the tension.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>I'm sure Mr. Wayne would very much like to see the command center. It's quite impressive.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yes, show me the toys.<strong>

Coughlin sighs and begrudgingly leads them to...

INT. COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR

The extra large command center looks more like something you'd see on Star Trek than a ship of the line. There's a centralized captain's chair on a swivel so whoever is sitting in it can look straight on at whichever of the various command stations in the round he chooses. This is all on an elevated platform overlooking the operations center, where maintenance and observation of the engines, weapons, and other key systems takes place.

Despite its massive size, only a skeleton crew of four people man the controls.

Captain Coughlin continues the tour.

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>On the open water, today's typical barge can travel safely up to around thirteen knots. That's around fifteen miles per hour. Thanks to Rosevale's advanced hydrofoil propulsion system-<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Courtesy of Waynetech's Applied Sciences Division.<strong>

Bruce winks at Lucius.

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>-Uh-huh. As I was saying, we can actually almost double that speed, traveling close to as fast as one of Uncle Sam's submarines. Can't do it sitting in the harbor, of course, but what are you gonna do?<strong>

Bruce takes a seat in the captain's chair and makes himself comfortable.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>How do you fire the guns?<strong>

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>We never got our guns, but we do have anti-aircraft countermeasures, a pair of mid-range Hypertiger missiles we could probably be arrested for still having onboard, and a stealth mode option that renders us virtually undetectable to sonar and radar providing we aren't traveling at top speed, they don't have our transponder frequency, and we aren't visible to any Tom, Dick, and Harry who simply looks out the window at our giant fat ass.<strong>

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Would you like to see the data center now, Mr. Wayne?<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yeah, sure, whatever.<strong>

Bruce stands. Coughlin reclaims his chair.

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>I have some work to do here. I'll see you again at lunch.<strong>

Bruce and Lucius follow Argenta. The entourage follows.

**SOPHIA**  
><strong>(to Billie)<strong>  
><strong>Thank god. If I have to listen to that man talk about the ship's ass one more time, I am going to scream.<strong>

**BILLIE**  
><strong>And what's with that smell? Is he wearing ladies perfume?<strong>

They laugh.

INT. SECURITY DESK - OUTSIDE DATA CENTER - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR

Argenta leads the group to the security desk just outside the data center where a single security guard, FREDDY HAMWICK, guards the door and monitors the security feed.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Freddy, here, is our resident guard dog. Freddy, I'll need the door.<strong>

Freddy stands to greet them.

**FREDDY**  
><strong>Just give me one minute to pull that up.<strong>

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>(to Bruce and Lucius)<strong>  
><strong>Ordinarily, access to the data center is restricted. You need a security badge and then there's fingerprint authorization.<strong>

Argenta points to the fingerprint scanner.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Additionally, these doors are titanium, and once you go through the first one, you're subjected to a quick x-ray scan, like when you go to the airport.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>They do that?<strong>

Argenta looks confused. Lucius to the rescue.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne has his own private jet... and airport.<strong>

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Oh. Well, okay. It's harmless, but access is restricted to one person at a time. Since we're a large group, Freddy's going to override it, anyway.<strong>

**FREDDY**  
><strong>(to Argenta)<strong>  
><strong>I just need your access code, George.<strong>

Argenta shows Bruce and Lucius a pager-like device he removes from his belt buckle.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>This mobile code generator, or MCG, generates a new seven-digit access code every eight hours based on the half-life of a small radioactive element inside. It's completely random and totally secure.<strong>

Argenta shows Freddy the code. Freddy enters it into the computer and a red light over the door turns green.

**FREDDY**  
><strong>You're all set.<strong>

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Thank you, Freddy.<strong>

Argenta opens the door and escorts the group into...

INT. DATA CENTER - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR

The data repository; basically rows and rows of metal cabinets filled with servers, only a few of which are actually running.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>We have about fifteen thousand square feet of raised floor space on three different levels; about a thousand racks housing anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five servers each. That comes out to around twenty-two thousand servers. Not all of them are on, of course. The ones that are, mainly serve as a backup to our own server farm in Des Moines.<strong>

**BILLIE**  
><strong>(looking around)<strong>  
><strong>Where are all the people? It's like a graveyard.<strong>

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>There's about as much to do. When we signed on, we were going to be partnering with the Department of Defense as the world's first fully mobile data repository. We would hold all of their top secret information and keep it on the move so terrorist organizations and other aggressive foreign powers couldn't ever have a single site to target. Now, we pretty much just sit here.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>But it's all state of the art. Good old fashioned 21st century money pit.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>That should change soon. We're in the process of locking down new customers, as well as convincing legacy accounts to make the switch over to our new platinum service. Don't you worry, Mr. Argenta, we'll have you logging overtime hours and complaining about holiday pay soon enough.<strong>

Argenta nods as the tour continues.

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

A bit later, Bruce walks the main deck alone. He walks up to the railing and looks out over the harbor, taking in the fresh air, but wary of the attack he expects is imminent.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Report.<strong>

EXT. PARKING LOT - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

At the highest point of elevation in a visitor's parking lot, Alfred sits inside the limousine monitoring police channels.

**RADIO (V.O.)**  
><strong>Fifty-five, please advise, will you be 10-15 with 657f's?<strong>

Alfred lowers the radio volume.

**ALFRED**  
><strong>All clear from my vantage point, sir. Though, I do believe I witnessed a seagull giving your car the stink eye.<strong>

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce allows himself the slightest smirk.

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Clear from above.<strong>

EXT. TOP OF CRANE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Perched at the top of the highest unused crane, Robin, wearing a jetpack, keeps a lookout.

Directly to his right, a seagull gives him the stink eye.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>But I did find Alfred's seagull.<strong>

The seagull squawks at Robin.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>He's a jerk.<strong>

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce leans against the railing.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>All right. Wait another thirty minutes, then check in with Gordon. See if he got anything out of Zomyaev and Slagg.<strong>

Lucius walks up behind him.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>I'll never fully grasp how you manage it.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Manage what?<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>To slip out of a crowded room, with state of the art security - security I designed, mind you - where you're the main focus of attention, all without anyone noticing.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Occupational necessity.<strong>

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Tell that to Jayakumar and Staden. You don't pay them enough to embarrass them on a regular basis.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Point taken. Give them a raise.<strong>

Lucius smiles.

Bruce sniffs the air, grows concerned.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>You smell that?<strong>

Lucius sniffs the air. They look around.

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Trouble.<strong>

A far off siren wails.

Bruce and Lucius run to the other side of the deck where they see thick plumes of black smoke billowing up from the hold of a massive cargo carrier docked nearby.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Alfred, bring the car around.<strong>

Bruce heads for one of the ramps leading back to the dock.

EXT. PARKING LOT - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Alfred steps on the gas and the limousine tears out of its parking spot on its way back to the dock.

EXT. TOP OF CRANE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Robin affixes a breathing filter to his mask, then stands and faces the direction of the plumes of smoke. He spreads his arms out at his sides as his cape goes rigid in the shape of a hang-glider. Air explodes out the back of his jetpack and the Robin takes flight.

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce reaches the top of the ramp just as his bodyguards, Jayakumar and Staden, appear on deck.

**JAYAKUMAR**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne, you shouldn't go off on your own like that.<strong>

Staden sees the smoke.

**STADEN**  
><strong>Jesus, that's a lot of smoke.<strong>

More sirens go off, closer. Emergency lights on the Rosevale flash.

**COUGHLIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Attention. Attention. We've just received word from the dockmaster. One of the cargo ships is on fire. Emergency procedures mandate we evacuate the ship. Repeat, all personnel, evacuate the ship.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>(to Staden and Jayakumar)<strong>  
><strong>Where are the girls?!<strong>

Argenta, Freddy, Billie, and Sophia emerge from a door leading inside.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>What's going on?<strong>

**BILLIE**  
><strong>Oh, my god!<strong>

**FREDDY**  
><strong>Look at that!<strong>

**SOPHIA**  
><strong>Is that a fire? Is something on fire?<strong>

Captain Coughlin and the four members of the command center skeleton crew come running from the direction of the command center.

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>Everyone off the ship!<strong>

He spreads out his arms and herds them like sheep down the ramp. He very nearly knocks Billie right off her feet.

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Emergency marine firefighter boats sail in the direction of the smoke, sirens wailing, emergency lights flashing.

EXT. CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Black as night smoke pours out of the massive vessel's cargo hold. Soot stained crew run down the ramp to the dock to evacuate. They hold their sleeves to their faces to try and filter the air as they breathe it in. All are coughing.

Some of the crew can't get off the ship due to being on the wrong side of the smoke. They jump overboard to escape.

The incident commander, CHIEF LINCOLN, barks orders to FIRST RESPONDERS.

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Get everyone back! Come on, everyone off the ship!<strong>

Lincoln intercepts a UNIFORMED MAN coming off the Orinoco.

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Hey, hey, I need to know what we're dealing with!<strong>

**UNIFORMED MAN**  
><strong>I don't know! We're only carrying grain, wheat, nothing crazy.<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>All right, get back. Get back!<strong>

He turns to his men.

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>We need masks!<strong>

EXT. MAIN DECK - CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Robin lands on the deck and activates the infrared frequency on his mask's lens clips.

ROBIN'S POV: We see the infrared heat signatures of crewmen running for their lives. We see some jump overboard. There are three crewmen collapsed on a flight of stairs leading down into the hold whose heat signatures we can clearly see.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>What the-? Where's the fire?<strong>

Robin runs for the hold.

EXT. ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce lets the women run down the ramp first, then Lucius and Argenta. At that point, his bodyguards physically drag Bruce down the ramp, who is followed by Captain Coughlin. Jayakumar and Staden are a little too zealous, though, and run right up onto the heals of the slow-footed Argenta, knocking the man flat on his face at the bottom of the ramp.

Bruce and Freddy help Argenta to his feet.

Two firetrucks and an ambulance pull up. Three EMTs get out of the ambulance. We only see the chief's face as he approaches.

**EMT CHIEF**  
><strong>(to Bruce)<strong>  
><strong>Is everyone all right?<strong>

Bruce watches as several firemen run onto the Rosevale.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>Yea. Where are they going? The fire's way over there.<strong>

**EMT CHIEF**  
><strong>There's been a threat made on the port.<strong>

Lucius overhears.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>Terrorists?<strong>

**EMT CHIEF**  
><strong>We're not sure, but we have to clear every ship. Is there anyone still onboard?<strong>

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>You need to go to that first block. There might be a few men from the night shift still sleeping.<strong>

**EMT CHIEF**  
><strong>All right, we need everyone to stay back. There's a staging area about half a mile that way if you need medical attention. Can you get yourselves there?<strong>

The EMT Chief points.

**LUCIUS**  
><strong>(nods)<strong>  
><strong>Yeah.<strong>

**EMT CHIEF**  
><strong>All right, you need to go. Go now!<strong>

All three EMTs follow the firemen onboard the Rosevale. Bruce watches them with suspicion.

INT. CARGO HOLD - CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Smoke fills the hold. If not for his mask lenses and breathing apparatus, Robin wouldn't be able to see or breathe. He runs past the first two crewmen on the steps and reaches the third. He removes the grappler from his belt and soft-releases the grapnel to gain access to the rope inside.

He bends down and ties a knot around the man with the rope.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Really hope you didn't eat breakfast today, guy.<strong>

**BRUCE (V.O.)**  
><strong>Report.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>A little busy. I'm in the hold of the ship. I've got three down, trying to get them out.<strong>

**BRUCE (V.O.)**  
><strong>I can't get to you right now. Can you tell how the fire started?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>No fire.<strong>

Robin runs to the second crewman and ties a knot around him with the same rope line.

EXT. ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Over by one of the firetrucks, Staden and Jayakumar frantically search the nearby area.

Around a shipping container, Bruce hides from their sight.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>What do you mean there's no fire?<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I mean, there's no damn fire. I've got nothing on infrared. It's just a lot of smoke.<strong>

Bruce furrows his brow.

INT. CARGO HOLD - CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Robin finishes tying up the third man.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I gotta go.<strong>

With the three men tied to the line, Robin fires up the jetpack. He rises into the air a few feet, but the weight of all three men holds him down like an anchor.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Dammit! Come on!<strong>

Robin gives it more power, but it isn't enough. He shuts it down and lands on the stairs.

Thinking fast, Robin takes the rope and passes it over his shoulder and under one side of the jetpack. He then uses the jetpack as a boost to help him climb the stairs manually, dragging each man up behind him one step at a time.

EXT. ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Confused, Bruce walks toward the firetruck while deep in thought. Staden and Jayakumar see him and run over.

**JAYAKUMAR**  
><strong>Sir!<strong>

**STADEN**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne, we must insist you stay-<strong>

Bruce sees Argenta showing Freddy the MCG from before.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>What's wrong?<strong>

Argenta shows Bruce the MCG.

**ARGENTA**  
><strong>Oh. Landed on it when I fell. Damn thing broke.<strong>

The splashing of water is heard.

A great "WHOOSH" emanates from the rear of the ship as the hydrofoil engines come online and the vessel begins to move. Everyone looks.

**COUGHLIN**  
><strong>Why the hell are the engines on?!<strong>

Bruce, suddenly piecing everything together, grabs the MCG from Argenta's hand and reads the last number; "8-2-5-1-2-1-2". It's the same number the referee at the shock match gave to Pryce, and is the code that gives unfettered access to the data center contained within the ship.

Bruce immediately turns and runs for the nearest ramp leading back onto Rosevale.

**JAYAKUMAR**  
><strong>Mr. Wayne!<strong>

Jayakumar and Staden chase after him.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>(to Robin over radio)<strong>  
><strong>The smoke is a diversion. The target is Rosevale. Repeat, the target is Rosevale.<strong>

Bruce runs up the nearest ramp just as the Rosevale starts pulling away from the dock. Jayakumar follows, but Staden stops at the bottom of the ramp.

The ramp twists and falls into the water. Bruce jumps and grabs onto the railing, pulling himself up and onboard. Jayakumar is too late and falls into the water.

Bruce looks back at the dock just as Alfred pulls up in the limousine and gets out. They stare at each other a moment, from a widening distance.

Bruce move away and gets to work.

EXT. MAIN DECK - CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Smoke continues to pour out of the cargo hold for several seconds... and then...

Jetpack and legs strained to their max, Robin climbs out of the hold, dragging the three crewmen behind him. Firemen wearing oxygen tanks and masks board the ship and run over to help, each taking a different crewman.

With the crewmen safe, Robin takes a moment to catch his breath, then runs to a place with a clear view of the harbor to search for the Rosevale.

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce hides behind a corner to spy on a group of fake firemen, led by an EMT we now recognize as Foulkes. One of them holds what looks like a rocket launcher they must have smuggled onboard disguised as some other piece of equipment. But instead of a rocket, they load it with a round device about the size of your average landmine. We recognize it as one of the devices King was working on in his clock shop.

One of the thugs latches himself to the ship's railing so he can safely lean over the side. He fires the launcher, sending one of the mines directly toward the side of the ship near the water line. It magnetizes and sticks to the hull.

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>I see the Rosevale. Moving to pursue.<strong>

**BRUCE**  
><strong>(whisper)<strong>  
><strong>Wait. Do not approach. Something's happening.<strong>

**ROBIN (V.O.)**  
><strong>Say again?<strong>

Foulkes loads the launcher with another mine and the thug shoots it against the hull a few feet away from the other one.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>They're affixing some sort of mines to the side of the hull. My guess is, if anyone makes a move on the ship, they'll sink it. Likely hostages onboard. You have to contact harbor patrol, the coast guard, and Commissioner Gordon. Have them setup a blockade, but warn them not to make a move on the ship.<strong>

EXT. MAIN DECK - CARGOSHIP ORINOCO - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Robin nods.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>What about you?<strong>

EXT. MAIN DECK - ROSEVALE - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Bruce's face turns serious.

**BRUCE**  
><strong>I'm gonna go to work.<strong>

Bruce runs off in the direction of the command center.

-To be Continued...

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	8. 8 - Endurance

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

The Rosevale takes the shortest possible route out to sea, but this also puts it directly in the path of emergency coast guard vessels bound for the Orinoco.

INT. BRIDGE - USCG ENDURANCE

Captain HORROWELL, of the coast guard cutter _Endurance_, eyes the plume of smoke pouring from the Orinoco's hold through the window while simultaneously shouting out orders to his crew.

**HORROWELL**  
><strong>My god, that's a lot of smoke. Let's get those pumps online. Any word yet if it was a bomb?<strong>

**COMMS OFFICER**  
><strong>Not yet, sir. I'm hearing conflicting reports.<br>**

**FIRST MATE**  
><strong>Captain, look!<strong>

Horrowell's attention turns in the direction of the Rosevale. It's getting bigger in the window.

**HORROWELL**  
><strong>Where the hell do they think they're going?<strong>

Horrowell shifts over to the comms station and grabs the radio mic.

**HORROWELL**  
><strong>(to comms officer)<strong>  
><strong>Punch me in.<strong>

**COMMS OFFICER**  
><strong>You're good.<strong>

**HORROWELL**  
><strong>This is Coast Guard cutter <em>Endurance<em> to _Rosevale_, a state of emergency has been declared for the harbor. You are ordered to cut your engines and return to port, over.**

Horrowell waits for a response.

**HORROWELL**  
><strong><em>Endurance<em> to _Rosevale_, you are ordered to cut your engines and return to port, immediately. The harbor is in a state of emergency and we need to clear all traffic lanes. Respond to confirm, over.**

Horrowell waits.

INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE

Bruce crawls through a ventilation shaft to a vantage point within earshot of William King and four of his people who have taken control over the Rosevale's abandoned command center. Bruce makes note of the number with a marker, drawing lines on his arm to represent each one. Counting the four from the main deck, that makes nine that he knows of.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE

William King looks at his pocket watch as we hear Captain Horrowell's voice over the loudspeaker.

**HORROWELL (V.O.)**  
><strong>Repeat, this is Captain Horrowell of the USCG Endurance to the captain of the Rosevale. You are ordered to cut your engines and return to port.<strong>

Manning the comm station is BRITT (male, 30's). He's tall and thin, but with muscles like steel cable.

**BRITT**  
><strong>They're early.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>By more than six minutes. A surprising level of efficiency for government employees. Annoying, but hardly an insurmountable obstacle.<br>**

King grabs the radio.

**KING**  
><strong>Captain Horrowell, this is the new captain of the Rosevale. Having only just recently commandeered this vessel, I am disinclined to return it. Should you attempt to force the issue, I direct your attention to the explosive devices I've installed along the outside of the hull. If you're having difficulty seeing them, I'm happy to offer you a closer look.<strong>

King turns off the radio before Horrowell can respond.

**KING**  
><strong>Going to need a little more speed, Jade, darling.<strong>

At the nav station is JADE, deadly as she is striking. Perhaps she's the real reason Verity became expendable. She pushes the Rosevale's engines harder.

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

The Rosevale's engines kick it into a higher gear. It heads straight for...

INT. BRIDGE - USCG ENDURANCE

Captain Horrowell looks out the window.

**FIRST MATE**  
><strong>She's speeding up.<strong>

Horrowell's first mate points to the Rosevale as it barrels through the water right towards them in a game of maritime chicken.

Everyone stares at the enormous vessel, frozen for a moment by their fear.

**HORROWELL**  
><strong>Hard to port!<strong>

The crew leaps into action...

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

USCG Endurance banks hard to port, narrowly avoiding a collision with the Rosevale, but the wake of the much larger ship, combined with the tilt of the Endurance from its hard turn, capsizes the coast guard cutter.

EXT. MAIN DECK - ORINOCO - DAY

Robin sees the cutter capsize. He takes a few steps backwards and then runs straight towards the railing, using it to launch himself up into the air to again take flight using his jetpack.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE

Satisfied, King touches Jade's shoulder and offers a nod of approval.

**KING**  
><strong>That should get us our six minutes back. Now, let's put some distance between us and them. Only seven hours to international waters.<strong>

Jade smiles.

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Crew from the capsized cutter tread water and call for help.

Above them, Robin, wearing the mask he used to breathe while in the Orinoco's hold, flies into position above and behind the Endurance, then nosedives into the water.

INT. UNDERWATER - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

The jetpack propels Robin through the water, towards the ship.

INT. BRIDGE - USCG ENDURANCE - UNDERWATER

We see Captain Horrowell struggling to pry his leg free from a cabinet that tipped over and pinned him up against a wall. No matter how hard he pulls, pushes, and tugs, he can't get himself free. Out of breath, he passes out.

A tiny underwater explosion breaks a nearby pane of glass, clearing the way for Robin to swim inside. He sees Captain Horrowell, swims over, removes his breathing mask and puts it over the Captain's face.

Robin reaches into his utility belt for a laser which he then uses to cut away a piece of debris to free Horrowell's leg. He grabs Horrowell and swims out.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE

King turns to the other two of his men, RUFUS and TYNE.

**KING**  
><strong>Gentlemen, find me my missiles.<strong>

Rufus nods and the pair leave just as Foulkes enters.

**FOULKES**  
><strong>We've finished placing the mines.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>I guess everyone had their coffee black this morning. Help the two mercs finish sweeping the ship. They're already late reporting back. If there are still crew on board, I need them alive. What's that look on your face?<strong>

Foulkes makes like he just tasted a lemon.

**FOULKES**  
><strong>(lowers voice)<strong>  
><strong>Maybe send Britt?<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>You're my best. Besides, I need someone who can keep them in line. Rumor has it the big one likes to gnaw on people, and Britt doesn't scare anybody.<strong>

**BRITT (O.S.)**  
><strong>I can hear you.<strong>

**FOULKES**  
><strong>Which one's the big one?<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>I'm going to check on Mr. Simpkins.<strong>

Foulkes and King leave in opposite directions.

INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - COMMAND CENTER - ROSEVALE

Bruce draws three more lines on his arm, one for each of the two mercs and another for Randall Simpkins, then moves out.

INT. DATA CENTER - ROSEVALE

DEVENEY, a canonball of a man carrying an assault rifle, stands over Randall Simpkins at a workstation as King enters through the security door.

**KING**  
><strong>Mr. Simpkins, I trust you have only good news for me.<strong>

**SIMPKINS**  
><strong>I've isolated all active network connections. They're cut off. No one from the outside can tunnel into any of the on board servers.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>Excellent. How soon can you make yourself available?<strong>

**SIMPKINS**  
><strong>It depends how many hard drives we're talking. Instead of downloading the information, I could just remove all the hard drives, take them with us when we go. Then, we can grab the data at our leisure.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>(smiles)<strong>  
><strong>You can do that? Excellent. I knew Verity wouldn't let me down. She spoke very highly of you, you know.<strong>

Simpkins blushes.

**SIMPKINS**  
><strong>Is she on board? I'd very much like to see her again.<strong>

**KING**  
><strong>Not just now, but I'll be sure to reunite the two of you as soon as this is over. I'll let you know when I need you. Be sure to drop what you're doing. These are still just a secondary priority.<strong>

King leaves. Simpkins gets to work.

EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

Emergency vehicles of all kinds arrive at the harbor. Police officers setup a barrier to keep back the gathering crowds. Firefighters continue to work on extinguishing the smoke pouring from the Orinoco's hold. Real EMTs tend to those who've inhaled the smoke.

EXT. HARBOR PATROL HQ - GOTHAM HARBOR - DAY

A police cruiser pulls through the barrier and comes to a stop outside the Harbor Patrol headquarters. Commissioner Gordon gets out and runs inside along with two detectives; HARVEY BULLOCK and RENEE MONTOYA.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - HARBOR PATROL HQ - GOTHAM HARBOR

Voices over voices as incident commander Chief Lincoln and his four STAFFERS - ANDREWS (female, 40's), BECK (female, late 30's), COSGROVE (male, 40's), and DIETRICH (male, 50's) - try to get a handle on the situation.

**ANDREWS**  
><strong>No, there's no fire.<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>What the hell are we breathing in?<strong>

**ANDREWS**  
><strong>We're not sure. Potassium nitrate?<strong>

**BECK**  
><strong>Rescue operations are underway on the overturned cutter.<strong>

**COSGROVE**  
><strong>Do we even know if everyone on board is accounted for?<strong>

**BECK**  
><strong>We've still got people in the water.<strong>

**DIETRICH**  
><strong>What about the Waynetech ship?<strong>

Commissioner Gordon enters with Bullock and Montoya.

**GORDON**  
><strong>Who's in charge, here?<strong>

Lincoln sees Gordon.

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Commissioner. I am.<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>That you, Ed? Thought you retired.<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>If I told you I retired yesterday, would you let me go home?<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>What the hell is going on?<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>I wish I knew. I've got at least three catastrophes on my hands. I've got a ship that's on fire, or maybe it isn't. I've got a capsized ship. I'm hearing bomb threats. It's pandemonium.<strong>

**ROBIN (O.S.)**  
><strong>It's all about Rosevale.<strong>

Everyone quiets and turns to see Robin, soaking wet, standing in the corner. Everyone is surprised. No one even saw him enter.

**BULLOCK**  
><strong>Great. How many of these nuts are there?<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>(warning)<strong>  
><strong>Harvey.<strong>

With all eyes on him, Robin steps forward.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Chief Lincoln, you still have men in the water, but I got everyone out of your capsized cutter. The crew is safe.<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Um... thank you?<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>(to Robin)<strong>  
><strong>What do you know?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>It's the Clock King. The Orinoco was a smoke screen, literally, a giant smoke screen. He and his men posed as emergency personnel and boarded the Rosevale intent on stealing it. He's set course for international waters and if you don't move to intercept, he'll get there before you do. She's a lot faster than she looks and equipped with stealth technology. But there's a catch. If we try to move on the ship, he'll set off a series of mines and sink it. And he probably has hostages.<strong>

**MONTOYA**  
><strong>Probably?<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Dietrich...<strong>

**DIETRICH**  
><strong>On it.<strong>

Dietrich runs out of the room.

**GORDON**  
><strong>Montoya, go with him. Coordinate with our teams and the fire marshal. And make sure we update the Feds. Maybe they can bring the Naval authorities in on this. They probably have something with some teeth in the water that can intercept before we can.<strong>

**MONTOYA**  
><strong>Yes, sir.<strong>

Montoya follows Dietrich out.

**BULLOCK**  
><strong>(to Robin)<strong>  
><strong>How do you know all this?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I have someone on the inside.<strong>

**BULLOCK**  
><strong>What? You mean Batman? Christ, as soon as King realizes he's on board, you know he'll set off those mines. He's going to get those hostages killed!<strong>

**GORDON**  
><strong>What does King want with it? What's on board?<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>It's a mobile data center, originally slated for military use, but that fell through. Primarily, it's a blank slate, just a bunch of empty servers.<strong>

**CHIEF LINCOLN**  
><strong>Still, there's got to be significant monetary value attached to the equipment.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>Maybe.<strong>

Robin steps towards the door.

**GORDON**  
><strong>You don't sound convinced.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>This isn't stolen art. Is there really a black market out there for a floating data center? And who even knew that's what was on that ship in the first place? Waynetech kept it a secret from the public.<strong>

**BULLOCK**  
><strong>You knew.<strong>

**ROBIN**  
><strong>I didn't tell King. Did you?<strong>

Bullock clams up.

**ROBIN**  
><strong>There's more going on here than we know. You'll know more when I know more.<strong>

Robin leaves.

**BULLOCK**  
><strong>(to Gordon)<strong>  
><strong>Those two are going to screw up this whole thing. If they catch his partner on board that ship, who knows what they'll do? And it'll be on our heads. Are you just going to let him walk out of here?<strong>

Gordon thinks.

**GORDON**  
><strong>Yeah.<strong>

Gordon turns to Lincoln.

**GORDON**  
><strong>(to Lincoln)<strong>  
><strong>Now, what do you need from me to calm things down here?<strong>

-To be Continued...-


End file.
